University of Tennessee Athletics
Friday, January 19
Knoxville, TN
6 PM
University of Tennessee
4
vs
3
Georgia Tech
Vols Defeat Georgia Tech at Home, 4-3
January 19, 2018 | Men's Tennis
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — The Tennessee men's tennis team ran its season-opening winning streak to five match Friday night, defeating Georgia Tech 4-3 at Goodfriend Tennis Center.
The Vols (5-0) won the doubles point and picked up straight-set victories from senior Luis Valero on court 3, freshman Nicaise Muamba on court 5 and redshirt junior Preston Touliatos on court 2 to clinch the match at 4-1.
It was a reversal of results from last year's meeting, which Georgia Tech (2-1) won 7-0 in Atlanta.
Tennessee got off the court quickly in doubles, with a 6-1 win by Valero and Timo Stodder on court 2 and a 6-0 shutout by Muamba and freshman Andrew Rogers on court 3.
In singles, Tennessee and Georgia Tech split first sets across the six courts.
The Yellow Jackets briefly tied the game 1-1 when Carlos Divar defeated Stodder 6-4, 6-0 on court 1, but the Vols picked up the three singles points they needed for the team win.
Valero, playing his first singles match of the season, defeated Chris Yun 6-4, 6-1 on court 3, Muamba beat Phillip Gresk 6-2, 6-4 on court 5 and Touliatos sealed the team result with a 6-4, 6-1 victory over Andrew Li on court 2.
Touliatos, who missed last year with shoulder surgery, is now 12-2 this year, including 5-0 in dual matches this spring at the No. 2 position.
After the match was clinched, Georgia Tech picked up two points on courts 4 and 6.
VALERO RETURNS: Though he played several doubles matches last week, Friday marked the return to singles for senior Luis Valero. He also teamed up with Timo Stodder for the first time this season, pulling away for a 6-1 victory on court 2. They played together at the top of the lineup last year.
UP NEXT: The Vols take on The Citadel (0-5) on Sunday for a doubleheader at 1 p.m. and 4 p.m. Note that the matches are currently scheduled to be played outside at Barksdale Stadium. Tennessee will host a meet-and-greet before the match at 11 a.m., featuring an autograph session and a pizza party.
QUOTES
Head Coach Chris Woodruff:
"First of all, let's give a shout out to Tennys Sandgren for beating (Stan) Wawrinka. Hurt, not hurt or whatever, no one should take anything away from that kid. He's worked incredibly hard. He was a hard worker here. I'd love to congratulate him. All our guys who are following him feel the same way I do.
"It's a good win for us. This time last year, we were sitting in Atlanta, Georgia, with our heads down. We had just gotten shellacked 7-0. It was nice. Now, we're focused on the process. We're going to hit outside and play The Citadel twice. It's going to be warm enough to play outdoors tomorrow and Sunday. Now we have to focus on making a lot of tennis balls and get ready to play The Citadel."
Tennessee 4, Georgia Tech 3
Singles
1. #85 Carlos Divar (GT) def. #36 Timo Stodder (UT) 6-4, 6-0
2. Preston Touliatos (UT) def. Andrew Li (GT) 6-4, 6-1
3. Luis Valero (UT) def. Chris Yun (GT) 6-3, 6-1
4. Elijah Menendez (GT) def. Adam Walton (UT) 6-3, 3-6, [10-6]
5. Nicaise Muamba (UT) def. Phillip Gresk (GT) 6-2, 6-4
6. Michael Kay (GT) def. Luca Wiedenmann (UT) 6-4, 7-5
Doubles
1. Touliatos/Walton (UT) vs. Divar/Kay (GT), 3-4
2. Stodder/Valero (UT) def. Gresk/Li (GT), 6-1
3. Muamba/Rogers (UT) def. Melendez/Yun (GT), 6-0
Order of Finish: Doubles (2,3); Singles (1,3,5,2,4,6)
The Vols (5-0) won the doubles point and picked up straight-set victories from senior Luis Valero on court 3, freshman Nicaise Muamba on court 5 and redshirt junior Preston Touliatos on court 2 to clinch the match at 4-1.
It was a reversal of results from last year's meeting, which Georgia Tech (2-1) won 7-0 in Atlanta.
Tennessee got off the court quickly in doubles, with a 6-1 win by Valero and Timo Stodder on court 2 and a 6-0 shutout by Muamba and freshman Andrew Rogers on court 3.
In singles, Tennessee and Georgia Tech split first sets across the six courts.
The Yellow Jackets briefly tied the game 1-1 when Carlos Divar defeated Stodder 6-4, 6-0 on court 1, but the Vols picked up the three singles points they needed for the team win.
Valero, playing his first singles match of the season, defeated Chris Yun 6-4, 6-1 on court 3, Muamba beat Phillip Gresk 6-2, 6-4 on court 5 and Touliatos sealed the team result with a 6-4, 6-1 victory over Andrew Li on court 2.
Touliatos, who missed last year with shoulder surgery, is now 12-2 this year, including 5-0 in dual matches this spring at the No. 2 position.
After the match was clinched, Georgia Tech picked up two points on courts 4 and 6.
VALERO RETURNS: Though he played several doubles matches last week, Friday marked the return to singles for senior Luis Valero. He also teamed up with Timo Stodder for the first time this season, pulling away for a 6-1 victory on court 2. They played together at the top of the lineup last year.
UP NEXT: The Vols take on The Citadel (0-5) on Sunday for a doubleheader at 1 p.m. and 4 p.m. Note that the matches are currently scheduled to be played outside at Barksdale Stadium. Tennessee will host a meet-and-greet before the match at 11 a.m., featuring an autograph session and a pizza party.
QUOTES
Head Coach Chris Woodruff:
"First of all, let's give a shout out to Tennys Sandgren for beating (Stan) Wawrinka. Hurt, not hurt or whatever, no one should take anything away from that kid. He's worked incredibly hard. He was a hard worker here. I'd love to congratulate him. All our guys who are following him feel the same way I do.
"It's a good win for us. This time last year, we were sitting in Atlanta, Georgia, with our heads down. We had just gotten shellacked 7-0. It was nice. Now, we're focused on the process. We're going to hit outside and play The Citadel twice. It's going to be warm enough to play outdoors tomorrow and Sunday. Now we have to focus on making a lot of tennis balls and get ready to play The Citadel."
Tennessee 4, Georgia Tech 3
Singles
1. #85 Carlos Divar (GT) def. #36 Timo Stodder (UT) 6-4, 6-0
2. Preston Touliatos (UT) def. Andrew Li (GT) 6-4, 6-1
3. Luis Valero (UT) def. Chris Yun (GT) 6-3, 6-1
4. Elijah Menendez (GT) def. Adam Walton (UT) 6-3, 3-6, [10-6]
5. Nicaise Muamba (UT) def. Phillip Gresk (GT) 6-2, 6-4
6. Michael Kay (GT) def. Luca Wiedenmann (UT) 6-4, 7-5
Doubles
1. Touliatos/Walton (UT) vs. Divar/Kay (GT), 3-4
2. Stodder/Valero (UT) def. Gresk/Li (GT), 6-1
3. Muamba/Rogers (UT) def. Melendez/Yun (GT), 6-0
Order of Finish: Doubles (2,3); Singles (1,3,5,2,4,6)
Players Mentioned
/ Men's Tennis
/ Men's Tennis
/ Men's Tennis
/ Men's Tennis
/ Men's Tennis
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