Florida Gators
Illinois
Men?s Tennis Falls To No. 3 Illinois, 5-2
Wednesday, March 22, 2006 | Men's Tennis
The eighth-ranked University of Florida men's tennis team fell to third-ranked Illinois Tuesday evening, 5-2, dropping a home match for only the fourth time under fifth-year head coach Andy Jackson (54-4 overall). The loss, which was the third straight for the Gators, moved UF to 8-5 on the season while Illinois improved to 13-3 on the year.
“I thought Illinois was a superior team and played with a lot of confidence,” said Jackson. “I didn't think the heartbreak of our last two matches would carry over (UF lost 4-3 at Tennessee and Georgia), but it did. I've seen it happen before, but we're a good team though. We've played many teams ranked inside the top 10 this season and when you set your goals high you have a long way to fall. I feel like there is no way to accomplish our goals except to schedule difficult teams.”
In six of UF's 13 matches this season the opponent has been ranked No. 9 or higher. UF has come away with victories over two top ten teams this year (No. 7 Baylor and No. 5 Ole Miss) after defeating three last year on its way to an appearance in the semifinals of the NCAA draw.
After being delayed an hour due to inclement weather in Gainesville, the match opened with Illinois taking a 1-0 lead with wins on each of the singles courts. The outcome marked the second time this season that UF has been swept in doubles (at Miami, Feb. 3).
The Illini built the lead to 4-0 on the singles courts to take the win before redshirt senior Chris Brandi got the Gators on the board with a 6-1, 6-4 victory over Ruben Gonzales on court five. The win was his team-leading tenth in a dual match this year.
Sophomore Nestor Briceno (No. 38) also picked up a win as he ended the match with a 6-1, 7-6 (4) showing against No. 41 GD Jones on court three. The showing matched Briceno's highest appearance in the order this year and was his fifth win against a ranked opponent this season which leads all Gators.
Florida returns to SEC play and takes to the road for its next match against No. 16 Arkansas on Friday, March 24 at 2:30 p.m. ET in Fayetteville, Ark.
No. 8 Florida vs. No. 3 Illinois
Ring Tennis Complex
Gainesville, Florida
Singles
No. 3 Ryler DeHeart (Illini) def. Janne Holmia (UF), 7-5, 6-1
No. 17 Kevin Anderson (Illini) def. No. 32 Greg Ouellette (UF), 6-2, 6-2
No. 38 Nestor Briceno (UF) def. No. 41 GD Jones (Illini), 6-1, 7-6 (4)
No. 82 Ryan Rowe (Illini) def. No. 95 Vladimir Obradovic (UF), 6-3, 6-1
Chris Brandi (UF) def. Ruben Gonzales (Illini), 6-1, 6-4
Pramod Dabir (Illini) def. Ryan Sherry (UF), 6-4, 6-3
Order of Finish – 4, 1, 6, 5, 2, 3
Doubles
No. 3 Kevin Anderson/Ryan Rowe (Illini) def. Stefan Tell/Nestor Briceno (UF), 8-5
No. 26 Ryler DeHeart/Ruben Gonzales (Illini) def. No. 59 Janne Holmia/Vladimir Obradovic (UF), 8-7 (2)
GD Jones/Marc Spicijaric (Illini) def. Chris Brandi/Greg Ouellette (UF), 8-6
Order of Finish – 1, 3, 2
