Florida Gators
Tennessee
No. 12 UF Men's Tennis Outlasts Rival No. 13 Tennessee, 4-3, In Classic Match
Wednesday, March 19, 2008 | Men's Tennis
In a classic match that came down to the final court, senior Nestor Briceno (Pembroke Pines, Fla.) outlasted Kaden Hensel and propelled the No. 12 University of Florida men's tennis team past No. 13 Tennessee, 4-3, on Tuesday at Linder Stadium.
The Gators (8-4, 3-1 SEC) notched their third victory of the year over a Top 25 team and secured its second straight win over the rival Vols, who dropped only its second match of the season and fell to 13-2 overall, 2-2 in league play.
“This was a really big win for us,” UF head coach Andy Jackson said. “They (Tennessee) are a very deep and talented team and can contend for the conference championship. When you have two pretty evenly talented teams like that, the match is usually going to come down to this.”
Florida defeated Tennessee, 4-3, in Gainesville last year, and Tuesday's outcome ended in similar fashion. Briceno took out Hensel (No. 79), 7-6, 5-7, 6-3, in a thrilling match on court two that lasted right at three hours. Hensel was close to capturing a win in straight sets but was pushed to a third set after losing a tiebreaker. The senior pulled away in the final set to secure the 4-3 UF win.
“Nestor has been someone you can count on for four years,” Jackson said. “When it comes down to a situation like this, you want someone like him out there.”
Freshman Tyler Hochwalt (Scottsdale, Ariz.) earned the Gators' first singles win, defeating UT's Davey Sandgren, 6-1, 7-6, on court five. The Vols' J.P. Smith (No. 16) was no match for senior Greg Ouellette (Ormond Beach , Fla.) on center court. Ouellette, the nation's No. 6 singles player, ousted Smith in identical set wins of 6-4, 6-4.
Tennessee then gained momentum with two straight singles wins. In a span of two minutes, Boris Konkic (No. 67) knocked off freshman Alex Lacroix (Paris, France) and Matteo Fago downed freshman Jeff Dadamo (Tampa, Fla.). Lacroix (No. 60) took the first set, 6-4, but Konkic ran away with the final two sets, 6-1, 6-1 on court three.
It took Fago three sets as well to defeat Dadamo by scores of 6-1, 3-6, 6-3 on court four. Freshman Johnny Hamui (Wesley Chapel, Fla.) was downed by Jeremy Tweedt in the other singles match on court six, 6-4, 7-5.
The Gators picked up the doubles' point with three impressive victories. Dadamo and Ouellette (No. 59) bested the nation's 13th-ranked doubles tandem of Hensel and Smith, 8-4, on the center court. Briceno and Lacroix took out Cockic and Sandgren (No. 52), 8-4, on court two, and Hochwalt and sophomore Geoffrey Barton (Boca Raton, Fla.) topped Fago and Tweedt, 8-5, in the third match.
Florida faces a quick turnaround as the Gators take on No. 5 Ole Miss in Oxford at 1 p.m. Friday before hosting Mississippi State at 1 p.m. Sunday.
College Men's Tennis
Linder Stadium at Ring Tennis Complex
Gainesville, Fla.
Tuesday, March 18, 2008
Final Score: No. 12 Florida 4, No. 13 Tennessee 3
Doubles
No. 1 (59) Greg Ouellette-Jeff Dadamo (UF) def. (13) Kaden Hensel and J.P. Smith (UT), 8-4
No. 2 Nestor Briceno-Alex Lacroix (UF) def. (52) Boris Conkic-Davey Sandgren (UT), 8-4
No. 3 Geoffrey Barton-Tyler Hochwalt (UF) def. Matteo Fago-Jeremy Tweedt (UT), 8-5
Singles
No. 1 (6) Greg Ouellette (UF) def. (16) J.P. Smith (UT), 6-4, 6-4
No. 2 Nestor Briceno (UF) def. (79) Kaden Hensel (UT), 7-6, 5-7, 6-3
No. 3 (67) Boris Konkic (UT) def. (60) Alex Lacroix (UF), 4-6, 6-1, 6-1
No. 4 Matteo Fago (UT) def. Jeff Dadamo (UF), 6-1, 3-6, 6-3
No. 5 Tyler Hochwalt (UF) def. Davey Sandgren (UT), 6-1, 7-6
No. 6 Jeremy Tweedt (UT) def. Johnny Hamui (UF), 6-4, 7-5
Order of Finish: Doubles – 2, 1, 3 Singles – 5, 6, 1, 3, 4, 2
