University of Tennessee Athletics
Tennis Vols Down SEC Rival Arkansas 4-3
March 14, 2001 | Men's Tennis
Fayetteville, Ark. - The ninth-ranked Tennessee tennis team defeated No. 37 Arkansas 4-3 Wednesday to improve to 9-2 on the season and 3-0 in SEC play. The Vols now lead the series between the two schools 12-9. Arkansas falls to 10-5 on the season and 1-5 in the SEC. The win also raised the Vol’s mark against ranked opponents to 7-2 in 2001.
"This was another gutt-wrenching SEC road win," Tennessee head coach Michael Fancutt said. "We haven’t played in over a week and it was evident out there today. We had some of our players step up and others didn’t, but in the end enough of our players wanted it bad enough to get it done."
Arkansas started out well winning the doubles point by taking two of the three matches. The tandem of Oskar Johansson and Henrik Toft defeated Tennessee’s Peter Handoyo and Mario Toledo in the No. 1 match 8-4. The Vols’ duo of Adam Carey and Mark Parsons defeated Bubis and Kolev 9-8 at No. 2. Arkansas’ Kullenberg and Pechaco then defeated Andy Crews and Simon Rea 8-6 to clinch the point.
Arkansas struck again in singles with top-ranked Oskar Johansson. Johansson defeated No. 71 Mark Parsons in the No. 1 match 3-6, 7-6, 7-5. Arkansas got a second singles win in the No. 6 match where Aleksey Bubis defeated Simon Rea 7-6, 6-2. Tennessee then made therir second straight comeback win in a row winning four of the final five singles matches to win 4-3.
Tennessee was led by junior Adam Carey who has won 11 of his last 13 matches, including his last three against a ranked foe. No. 46 Carey defeated No. 40 Henrik Toft 6-2, 7-6.
"Adam (Carey) gave a great effort to beat toft," Fancutt said. "He is showing that he is becoming one of the best players in the country. He has always had great competitiveness and spirit, but now his game is reaching that same level."
Tennessee junior Peter Handoyo won his fifth straight match since returning from injury. Handoyo, ranked No. 20 nationally, defeated Kullenberg 4-6, 7-6, 6-4 in the No. 3 match. No. 73 Paul Podbury won the No. 4 match, defeating Arkansas’ Oggie Kolev 4-6, 7-5, 7-5. Tennessee junior Mario Toledo then clinched the match for the Vols, defeating Arkansas’ Tiago Azevedo 6-3, 6-7, 6-2 in the No. 5 match.
"Mario showed the fighting spirit that he used to win two consecutive junior college national titles out there today," Fancutt said. "He was hobled with a foot injury all week so we were not sure if he was even going to play, but he did play, and he fought hard, and he clinched the match for us."
The ninth-ranked Vols will next be in action Thursday, March 22, in New Orleans against No. 44 Tulane.
#9 Tennessee 4, #37 Arkansas 3
Singles:
1) (1) Oskar Johansson (UA) def. (71) Mark Parsons (UT) 3-6, 7-6, 7-5
2) (46) Adam Carey (UT) def. (40) Henrik Toft (UA) 6-2, 7-6
3) (20) Peter Handoyo (UT) def. Magnus Kullenberg (UA) 4-6, 7-6, 6-4
4) (73) Paul Podbury (UT) def. Oggie Kolev (UA) 4-6, 7-5, 7-5
5) (48) Mario Toledo (UT) def. Tiago Azevedo (UA) 6-3, 6-7, 6-2
6) Aleksey Bubis (UA) def. Simon Rea (UT) 7-6, 6-2
Doubles:
1) Johansson/ Toft(UA) def. Handoyo/ Toledo (UT) 8-4
2) (10) Carey/ Parsons (UT) def. Bubis/ Kolev (UA) 9-8
3) Kullenberg/ Pacheco (UA) def. Crews/ Rea (UT) 8-6
