University of Tennessee Athletics
University of Tennessee
#11 Alabama
VOLS ROLL PAST 11TH-RANKED CRIMSON TIDE, 5-2
March 23, 2007 | Men's Tennis
March 23, 2007
The Tennessee men's tennis team came from behind Friday afternoon to defeat 11th-ranked Alabama, 5-2 on a beautiful day at the UT Outdoor Varsity Courts.
"I think the win today showed the type of character this team truly has," head coach Sam Winterbotham said. "When you lose the doubles point against the 11th-ranked team in the country your back is against the wall. To come out and win five singles matches in straight-sets shows how determined the team was today. That determination is going to make this team a great team. Coach Woodruff and I were really proud today of the way the team played.
The Vols (11-4, 3-2 SEC) dropped the doubles point for only the third time all season. Adam Hubble and Ben Rogers won for the 11th time in 12 dual-matches this season. The UT tandem defeated the 28th-ranked duo of Dan Buikema and Mathieu Thibaudeau 8-5 at the No. 1 position. Alabama won at the No. 2 and 3 positions to clinch the point. Joseph Jung and Saketh Myneni defeated Bobby Cameron and Davey Sandgren 8-6 at the No. 2 position and Javier Bes and Sammy Struyf won at the No. 3 position 8-5 over Kaden Hensel and Kiril Tcherveniachki.
Tennessee quickly took control of the match in singles play. Tcherveniachki tied the match for Tennessee with a 6-1, 6-2 win over Bes at the No. 5 position. The UT senior is 5-0 in SEC singles play this season.
Cameron gave the Volunteers the lead for good with a 6-4, 6-1 win over Struyf at the No. 2 position. Cameron has now won two consecutive SEC matches after dropping his first two.
Hensel put the Vols on the cusp of victory with a 6-3, 6-2 win over 89th-ranked Jung at the No. 1 position. Hensel has a team-high nine wins over ranked opponents this season.
Sandgren clinched the win for UT with a 6-4, 6-3 win over Billy Mertz at the No. 3 position. Sandgren, who entered the singles rankings at 120th this past week, is tied with Chris Racz and Cameron with the most clinching points at three.
Rogers won his team-best 12th singles dual-match with a 7-6(5), 6-3 win over 121st-ranked Thibaudeau. Rogers is having a stellar senior season. The Kingsport native is 22-9 in singles.
Myneni gave the Crimson Tide their only singles victory when Hubble retired early in the second set with Myneni leading 7-6, 1-0.
Tennessee looks to improve two games over .500 in SEC play for the first time since the 2005 season when it hosts Auburn at 1 p.m. All matches are free to the public. Live stats can be found at UTsports.com.
| No. 36 Tennessee 5 No. 11 Alabama 2 | ||||
| Singles | ||||
| 1. | No. 36 Kaden Hensel (UT) | def. | No. 89 Joseph Jung (UA) | 6-3, 6-2 |
| 2. | No. 29 Bobby Cameron (UT) | def. | Sammy Struyf (UA) | 6-4, 6-1 |
| 3. | No. 120 Davey Sandgren (UT) | def. | Billy Mertz (UA) | 6-4, 6-3 |
| 4. | Ben Rogers (UT) | def. | No. 121 Mathieu Thibaudeau (UA) | 7-6(5), 6-3 |
| 5. | Kiril Tcherveniachki (UT) | def. | Javier Bes (UA) | 6-1, 6-2 |
| 6. | Saketh Myneni (UA) | def. | Adam Hubble (UT) | 7-6(3), 1-0 (ret.) |
| Order of Finish: 5,2,1,3,6,4 | ||||
| Doubles | ||||
| 1. | No. 55 Hubble/Rogers (UT) | def. | No. 28 Buikema/Thibaudeau (UA) | 8-5 |
| 2. | Jung/Myneni (UA) | def. | Cameron/Sandgren (UT) | 8-6 |
| 3. | Bes/Struyf | def. | Hensel/Tcherveniachki (UT) | 8-5 |
| Order of Finish: 1,3,2 | ||||
Players Mentioned
