University of Tennessee Athletics
Vol Netters Down Green Wave 4-3
March 22, 2001 | Men's Tennis
New Orleans, La. - The sixth-ranked Tennessee tennis team pulled out another close victory Thursday defeating No. 39 Tulane 4-3. The match also marked the Vols third comeback win in as many matches. The victory raises the Vols record to 10-2 on the season and 8-2 against ranked opponents in 2001. The win also evened up the series with the Green Wave at 1-1.
"We are tired of having to pull out 4-3 victories, but a win is a win," Tennessee head coach Michael Fancutt said. "Hopefully we can learn from this and carry it into our match with LSU Saturday."
Tulane (7-7) started out well taking the doubles point. The Green Wave pair of Mikko Viljanen and Goran Vasilijevic downed Paul Podbury and Mario Toledo 8-6 in the No. 1 match. Tulane’s Victor Romero and Jorge Lievanao then clinched the doubles point defeating Simon Rea and Peter Handoyo 8-6 at No. 3. The tenth-ranked tandem of Adam Carey and Mark Parsons got the only doubles win for the Vols in the No. 2 match.
Tulane also started out well in singles winning the No. 1 and 2 matches to take a commanding 3-0 lead. Tulane’s Victor Romero defeated No. 71 Mark Parsons 6-3, 1-6, 6-2 in the No. 1 match. Mikko Viljanen won Tulane’s third and final point with a 6-4, 6-2 victory over No. 46 Adam Carey in the No. 2 match. The loss ended a four-match winning streak for Carey.
Tennessee then took over winning the next three matches to tie the score at three. Tennessee senior Paul Podbury (No. 73) won the No. 4 match over Vasilijevic 6-0, 6-1. No. 48 Mario Toledo won his sixth match in his last eight. Toledo defeated Tulane’s Mattias Westerberg 6-0, 6-1 in the No. 5 match. Tennessee’s Wade Orr then evened the match winning the No. 6 match over Derya Rose 6-2, 6-0.
The Vol’s Peter Handoyo (No. 20) won his sixth straight match after pulling a stomach muscle in his doubles match. Handoyo was forced to serve underhanded due to the injury, but pulled out the match for himself and the Vols with a 7-5, 6-4 victory over Leviano at No. 3.
"Pete definitely gets the game ball today," Fancutt said. "He showed the toughness and leadership that we have grown to expect from him and he pulled it out."
Tennessee will next be
in action Saturday against No. 26 LSU in Baton Rouge, La. Starting at 2 p.m.
(EST). LSU (10-3) boasts two ranked singles players in No. 11 Ajay Ramaswami
and No. 82 Jesse Smatt. They also have a ranked doubles tandem in No. 41 Sanjin
Sadovich and Smatt. LSU is currently 3-2 in SEC play and all three of their
losses this year have come against ranked opponents.
| #6 Tennessee 4, #39 Tulane 3 |
| Singles: |
| No. 1: Victor Romero (TU) def. No. 71 Mark Parsons (UT): 6-3, 1-6, 6-2 |
| No. 2: Mikko Viljanen (TU) def. No. 46 Adam Carey (UT): 6-4, 6-2 |
| No. 3: No. 20 Peter Handoyo (UT) def. Jorge Lievano (TU): 7-5, 6-4 |
| No. 4: No. 73 Paul Podbury (UT) def. Goran Vasilijevic (TU): 6-0, 6-1 |
| No. 5: No. 48 Mario Toledo (UT) def. Mattius Westerberg (TU): 6-0, 6-1 |
| No. 6: Wade Orr (UT) def. Derya Rose (TU): 6-2, 6-0 |
|
Doubles: |
| No. 1: Viljanen/Viljanen (TU) def. Podbury/Toledo (UT): 8-6 |
| No. 2: No. 10 Carey/Parsons (UT) def. Derya Rose/Westerberg (TU): 8-4 |
| No. 3: Romero/Lievano (TU) def. Simon Rea/Handoyo (UT): 8-6 |
