University of Tennessee Athletics
University of Tennessee
Mercer
Reese, Libietis Lead Vols to Doubleheader Win
January 19, 2015 | Men's Tennis
Jan. 19, 2015
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KNOXVILLE, Tenn. -- Tennessee seniors Mikelis Libietis and Hunter Reese won a combined six matches Monday to lead the 17th-ranked Vols to two more victories at Goodfriend Tennis Center.
The Vols began the day with a 5-2 win over Elon, an NCAA first-round opponent from a year ago. In the afternoon, the Vols defeated Mercer 6-1 to finish the season-opening Tennessee Spring Invitational with a 4-0 team record.
Tennessee hits the road next for the ITA Kick-Off Weekend at Notre Dame. The Vols (4-0) play 16th-ranked Columbia on Saturday and either Notre Dame or Oklahoma State on Sunday.
"As a coach, you're always seeking improvement with the ultimate goal of seeing what the finished product looks like in May," said Associate Head Coach Chris Woodruff. "We took two steps forward and played better today than we did the day before. It's tennis time. I liked how a lot of the guys competed. You give it your best and if you do that day in and day out, then good things will happen."
Libietis and Reese started both matches in the top two court in singles and teaming up for No. 1 doubles, positions they've pinned down since their freshman seasons in one order or another. On Monday, they collected a pair of straight-set victories in singles while winning two more doubles matches to extend their career-best streak to 17.
"We need lots of work there, getting the formations right," said Woodruff. "We have a lot of work to do on the doubles. The doubles seems to get going a little later than the singles. It's certainly not for a lack of work, (but) we'll rectify the situation."
The Vols last faced Elon in May, winning 4-1 in a tight match in the opening round of the NCAA tournament, but both teams sported different lineups this time around. Starting three newcomers, the Vols took the doubles point and extended early leads across the courts.
Reese finished his match first on court 2, and Libietis followed minutes later with a 6-1, 6-3 victory at the top of the lineup over Stefan Fortmann, an opponent he had also defeated in the NCAA matchup. With the Vols leading 3-1, freshman Luis Valero clinched the team victory on court 4, beating Brian Kowalski 6-1, 6-2.
After the match was clinched, freshman Igor Smelyanski also collected a win, his 10th of the season.
Against Mercer, the Vols won the doubles point quickly and then collected first sets on five of six courts.
Libietis lost a total of just six games in singles the whole day, defeating Oliver Snaider 6-2, 6-0 on court 1. Junior Bartosz Sawicki won his only match of the day on court 5, and Reese increased the lead to 4-0 with a 6-1, 6-3 win against Sam Philip on court 2.
"Honestly, (Philip) surprised me a little bit," said Reese. "He came out swinging from the first point and I just didn't settle down. He just got settled into the match a little faster than I did. I was in a little bit of trouble, but I stayed in it (and) won a couple of important games. Once I settled in, I hit my spots a little better on my serves, playing more within myself. I felt very confident in the second set."
Jack Schipanski lost against Elon but rebounded in straight-sets on court 3 against Mercer, beating Arnav Mohanty 6-0, 6-4 just seconds after Reese clinched his match. Freshman Jess Jones also earned a victory.
Tennessee 5, Elon 2
Singles
1. #16 Mikelis Libietis, UT, def. Stefan Fortmann, ELON, 6-1, 6-3
2. Hunter Reese, UT, def. Robert Lindgren, ELON, 6-1, 6-3
3. Igor Smelyanski, UT, def. Josh Luck, ELON, 7-5, 6-4
4. Luis Valero, UT, def. Brian Kowalski, ELON, 6-1, 6-2
5. Jordan Kaufman, ELON, def. Jack Schipanski, UT, 6-4, 6-3
6. Juan Madrid, ELON, def. Brandon Fickey, UT, 4-5, ret.
Doubles
1. #2 Mikelis Libietis/Hunter Reese, UT, def. Stefan Fortmann/Brian Kowalski, ELON, 6-4
2. Luis Valero/Igor Smelyanski, UT, def. Chris Humphreys/Jordan Kaufman, ELON, 6-3
3. Andrew Dromsky/Jack Schipanski, UT, def. Juan Madrid/Robert Lindgren, ELON, 6-1
Order of Finish: Doubles (3,2,1); Singles (6,2,1,4,5,3).
Tennessee 6, Mercer 1
Singles
1. #16 Mikelis Libietis, UT, def. Oliver Snaider, Mercer, 6-2, 6-0
2. Hunter Reese, UT, def. Sam Philip, Mercer, 6-4, 6-0
3. Jack Schipanski, UT, def. Arnav Mohanty, Mercer, 6-0, 6-4
4. Jess Jones, UT, def. Manuel de Luis, Mercer, 6-3, 6-4
5. Bartosz Sawicki, UT, def. Ruben Vanoppen, Mercer, 6-1, 6-3
6. Arsav Mohanty, Mercer, def. Sunay Bhat, UT, 7-5, 7-5
Doubles
1. #2 Mikelis Libietis/Hunter Reese, UT, def. Austin Emmet/Oliver Snaider, Mercer, 6-1
2. Igor Smelyanski/Luis Valero, UT, def. Arnav Mohanty/Arsav Mohanty, Mercer, 6-3
3. Andrew Dromsky/Jack Schipanski, UT, def. Sam Philip/Ruben Vanoppen, Mercer, 6-3
Order of Finish: Doubles (1,3,2); Singles (1,5,2,3,6,4).
Players Mentioned
