University of Tennessee Athletics
University of Tennessee
#25 Duke
Vols Fall to Duke in Night Match, 4-3
February 05, 2016 | Men's Tennis
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KNOXVILLE, Tenn. -- The Tennessee Volunteers won the doubles point but came up short in singles in a 4-3 loss to No. 25 Duke in men's tennis Friday night at Goodfriend Tennis Center.
The Vols (5-2) had an early 1-0 lead in doubles but Duke (2-4) won five of six first sets in singles to take momentum.
Duke went ahead 2-1 with straight-set wins on courts 4 and 5 by Vincent Lin and Josh Levine. Sophomore Vol Luis Valero tied up the match at 2-2 when beat beat No. 102 TJ Pura 6-3, 6-2 on court 3.
Catalin Mateas brought Duke within a point of clinching, beating Timo Stodder 6-3, 6-3 on court 2. It was Stodder's first loss of the spring.
From there, the match was decided at the top and bottom of the lineup. Nicolas Alvarez clinched the win at 4-2 by beating Igor Smelyanski 6-3, 7-5 on court 1.
After the match was clinched, Srdjan Jakovljevic broke Daniel McCall late to claim a 4-6, 6-0, 6-4 victory at the No. 6 spot.
"It's a constant throughout the year, from the first day to the last day, is that you go out and play your game," Tennessee head coach Sam Winterbotham said. "When you can't play your game, you fight and find a way to play your game. We're still learning that."
The Vols host No. 10 Wake Forest in a rematch on Sunday at 1 p.m. Wake Forest won 4-0 in the first meeting. Admission is free.
Duke 4, Tennessee 3
Singles
1. #12 Nicolas Alvarez, Duke, def. #75 Igor Smelyanski, UT, 6-3, 7-5
2. Catalin Mateas, Duke, def. Timo Stodder, UT, 6-3, 6-3
3. Luis Valero, UT, def. #102 TJ Pura, Duke, 6-3, 6-2
4. Vincent Lin, Duke, def. Jack Schipanski, UT, 6-1, 6-1
5. Josh Levine, Duke, def. Preston Touliatos, UT, 6-2, 6-2
6. Srdjan Jakovljevic, UT, def. Daniel McCall, Duke, 6-4, 0-6, 6-4
Doubles
1. #23 Schipanski/Valero, UT, def. Alvarez/Lin, Duke, 6-4
2. Smelyanski/Stodder, UT, def. Levine/McCall, Duke, 7-6(4)
3. Heslin/Touliatos, UT, def. Mateas/Pura, Duke, 6-4
Order of Finish: Doubles (1,3,2); Singles (5,4,3,2,1,6).
