Florida Gators
NCAA Tournament (Round of 16 - Texas)
Men's Tennis Falls To Texas In NCAA Round of 16, 4-0
Saturday, May 17, 2008 | Men's Tennis
The ninth-ranked University of Florida men's tennis team had its run in the 2008 NCAA team draw come to a close Friday as the Gators fell to No. 7 Texas, 4-0, in the Round of 16 meeting at the Michael D. Case Tennis Center in Tulsa, Okla.
“The match came down to two things and they were how quickly Texas started in both the doubles and singles,” said UF head coach Andy Jackson. “We found our rhythm and, but it was too late. I'm proud of my team for how far we've come this season. We are a young team with five freshmen in the lineup, but you have to give it to Texas. We didn't come here for a learning experience, we came to beat Texas and they won it today.”
The season concluded with the Gators posting a 17-8 overall record and making an appearance in the NCAA Round of 16 for the seventh-straight season and the 15th time in the past 18 years. Florida is one of four schools nationally to have made it to the round each year over the span (Baylor, UCLA, Illinois are the others). The Gators also maintained a top 25 ranking in the ITA poll the entire season and hosted the NCAA first and second rounds for the first time since 2005.
Texas worked fast in to secure the doubles point with wins on courts one and two. Texas' Luis Diaz Barriga and Miguel Reyes Varela (No. 53) defeated UF's Nestor Briceno and Alex Lacroix, 8-6. Seconds later, the Longhorns had the 1-0 lead when ninth-ranked Ed Corrie and Kellen Damico took out Florida's 30th-ranked Jeff Dadamo and Greg Ouellette, 8-4.
In singles play, Florida lost the first set on five of six courts with the only win coming from Ouellette (No. 2) on court one where he was squaring off against Dimitar Kutrovsky (No. 10). The Gators did bounce back though to force third sets on three courts. However, Corrie (No. 47) defeated (No. 66) Lacroix on court three, 6-2, 6-2 to increase the lead to 2-0. Barriga got Texas to within one of clinching with a 6-2, 3-6, 6-3 showing over Dadamo one spot lower in the order and Varela finished the match with a 6-4, 7-5 victory against Erik Corace on court six.
Following the team championship, the NCAA singles and doubles draws will begin next Wednesday. Ouellette and Briceno have been selected for the singles, while Lacroix was listed as an alternate. Ouellette and Dadadmo are the first alternate for the doubles draw.
NCAA Round of 16
Michael D. Case Tennis Center
Tulsa, Okla.
Friday, May 16, 2008
Final Score: No. 7 Texas 4, No. 9 Florida 0
Doubles
No. 1 #9 Ed Corrie/Kellen Damico (T) def. #30 Jeff Dadamo/Greg Ouellette (F), 8-4
No. 2 #53 Luis Diaz Barriga/Miguel Reyes Varela (T) def. Nestor Briceno/Alex Lacroix (F), 8-6
No. 3 Dimitar Kutrovsky/Josh Zavala (T) vs. Johnny Hamui/Tyler Hochwalt (F), 7-4 DNF
Singles
No. 1 #10 Dimitar Kutrovsky (T) vs. #2 Greg Ouellette (F), 6-4, 5-6 DNF
No. 2 #41 Kellen Damico (T) vs. #52 Nestor Briceno (F), 6-3, 3-6, 2-1 DNF
No. 3 #47 Ed Corrie (T) def. #66 Alex Lacroix (F), 6-2, 6-2
No. 4 Luis Diaz Barriga (T) def. Jeff Dadamo (F), 6-2, 3-6, 6-3
No. 5 Milan Mihailovic (T) vs. Tyler Hochwalt (F), 6-4, 3-6, 1-1, DNF
No. 6 Miguel Reyes Varela (T) def. Erik Corace (F), 6-4, 7-5
Order of Finish: Doubles – 2, 1 Singles – 3, 4, 6
END OF REPORT
