University of Tennessee Athletics
Libietis, Reese Set for NCAA Individuals
May 19, 2015 | Men's Tennis
WACO, Texas -- Tennessee seniors Mikelis Libietis and Hunter Reese open the NCAA singles and doubles championships beginning Wednesday at Baylor's Hurd Tennis Center.
Libietis, seeded 9-16, is making his fourth appearance in the NCAA singles tournament starting Wednesday against No. 36 Dennis Mkrtchian of UCLA. The match is scheduled for 4 p.m. Eastern (3 p.m. local time).
Defending NCAA champions Libietis and Reese open their bid for another national title Thursday against 23rd-ranked Nick Chappell and Will Stein of TCU in the first round. The Vols' leading duo for the last four seasons enter the tournament seeded fourth in the field of 32.
Libietis has enjoyed a resurgent year in singles. He enters the tournament with a 24-3 record, including 18-1 this spring at the top of the lineup in team matches. He is currently ranked 14th nationally.
Last year, Libietis and Reese became Tennessee's second team to win the NCAA doubles title, the first since 1980.
For more news and notes:
SINGLES NOTES
100/100 Club: Libietis is the fifth Vol in program history to reach 100 career wins in both singles and doubles. He ranks ninth all time with 104 singles wins and fifth in doubles with 116. He won his 100th singles match April 4 in a 4-0 win at Arkansas.
A Couple Streaks: Libietis enters the tournament on a 7-match winning streak, most recently including a 6-4, 7-6 (6) win over Stanford's No. 26 Tom Fawcett in the NCAA team opener on May 8. Earlier this year, Libietis had a career-best 15-match winning streak. He is 16-3 this year against ranked opponents.
In Breakers and Three-Setters: Libietis has not played many three-setters or tiebreakers this season, but more often than not, he's been a winner. He is 4-1 in three-set matches, though he has not played one since a critical road win at Kentucky against Beck Pennington, helping the Vols to a 4-3 team win. He is also 6-1 in tiebreakers. In his career, Libietis is 30-15 in tiebreakers.
In Search of NCAA Win No. 1: Libietis enters the NCAA tournament 0-3 in his previous three appearances. The last two years, his tournament runs have been largely impacted by injury. Seeded No. 1 as a sophomore, he injured his knee during the team quarterfinals against Virginia. Last year, he had a stress fracture in his elbow, which limited his singles play.
Our Champ, Our Coach: Associate head coach Chris Woodruff remains the Vols' only NCAA singles champion, having won in 1993 before launching his professional career. Two Vols have reached the singles final in the last decade: John-Patrick Smith as a unseeded freshman in 2008 and Rhyne Williams as the No. 4 seed in 2011.
DOUBLES NOTES
For the Record: Libietis and Reese are 21-7 this season. They won their last match 8-4 over the ninth-ranked Stanford team of John Morrissey and Robert Stineman on May 8. Five of the Vols' wins have come against top-10 teams. All seven of the Vols' losses have come in the shortened 6-game dual match set with no-ad scoring. The NCAA tournament will be best-of-three sets with ad-scoring.
Recapping the 2014 NCAA Tourney Run: Libietis and Reese dropped only one set en route to winning the 2014 NCAA doubles championships last season at Georgia. Seeded No. 1, the Vol pair beat Ohio State's Peter Kobelt and Kevin Metka in the closest final in tournament history: 7-6 (4), 6-7 (3), 7-6 (6).
3-Time National Champs: Libietis and Reese have won three national titles the last two years: 2013 ITA All-American Championships, 2014 NCAA Championships and the 2014 ITA All-American Champions. They are the first team in college tennis history to win back-to-back ITA All-American titles. They are also the only Tennessee team to win multiple national titles.
And Knoxville Challenger Champs: Libietis and Reese also added to their trophy haul in the fall by winning the Knoxville Challenger on their home courts at Goodfriend Tennis Center. Accepting a tournament wild card, they made good on their opportunity. Both leapt well into the top 650 in the ATP world doubles rankings (Reese - 605; Libietis - 631). They plan to play together in Europe this summer.
No. 1 ... 10 Times: Libietis and Reese have been ranked No. 1 in 10 different ranking periods since their sophomore season together. They were No. 1 during the fall.
2 Champs/3 Finalists: In the modern college tennis era (since 1977), the Vols have had two NCAA championship teams and three finalists. The champions: 1980 - Mel Purcell/Rodney Harmon; 2014 - Mikelis Libietis/Hunter Reese. The finalists: 1979 - Michael Fancutt/Andy Kohlberg; 2009 - John-Patrick Smith/Davey Sandgren; 2010 - John-Patrick Smith/Davey Sandgren.
