University of Tennessee Athletics
University of Tennessee
#18 Kentucky
Vols Take Down Wildcats, 4-3
April 13, 2018 | Men's Tennis
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KNOXVILLE, Tenn. -- No. 21 Tennessee earned a conference win over a top 20 opponent on Friday night as the Vols took down No. 18 Kentucky, 4-3, at Goodfriend Tennis Center.
The Vols (19-6, 8-3 SEC) carried over momentum from winning the doubles point into singles, where they were able to ward off a comeback effort from the Wildcats (14-9, 7-4 SEC). In doubles, UT's Court 2 pairing of Timo Stodder and Adam Walton earned a 6-2 win before the 24th ranked duo in the nation of Preston Touliatos and Luis Valero won 6-3 to get the crucial early tally.
22nd ranked Stodder then got UT its second point as he beat the No. 9 player in the country, Ryotaro Matsumura, by a score of 6-4, 6-3. Touliatos followed that up by earning a 6-1, 7-5 victory on Court 5 to finish off his impressive showing on the day and put the Vols just one match away from the win.
Kentucky would rattle off two straight wins on Court's 6 and 4 to put the pressure back on. With the two remaining matches deep into their third sets, freshman Adam Walton was able to close his out in dominant fashion, winning 6-1 to secure Tennessee's second consecutive victory.
For the Vols, earning their eighth SEC win this season after going a combined 3-21 the past two years is a reflection of the team's current moral.
"Our confidence is high right now," Touliatos said after the win. "Compared to the past two years, we're flying high. We're having a lot of fun with it. Practices are fun, and coming out here for the match is even more fun."
Heading into Sunday's regular season finale against 22nd ranked Vanderbilt, head coach Chris Woodruff shares a similar confidence in his team's position after Friday's victory.
"We just have to get healthy and get some rest," Woodruff said. "Have to hydrate. Just little things. There's nothing wrong with the way our guys our playing, we just have to fire a little bit more. Overall, (tonight was) a pretty good performance."
With the win, the Vols improved to 14-3 at home this season, which according to Woodruff illustrates the team's knowledge of its own facility and how to take advantage of it.
"We know the courts, know the wind," he said. "It's just home field advantage."
UP NEXT: The Vols close out their regular season at home as they welcome No. 22 Vanderbilt for a 1 p.m. matchup at Goodfriend Tennis Center. During the match, Tennessee will recognize the career of Luis Valero for Senior Day.
#21 Tennessee 4, #18 Kentucky 3
Singles
1. #22 Timo Stodder (UT) def. #9 Ryotaro Matsumura (UK) 6-4, 6-3
2. #53 Will Bushamuka (UK) def. Luis Valero (UT) 3-6, 6-3, 7-6 (7-4)
3. #112 Adam Walton (UT) def. Enzo Wallart (UK) 4-6, 6-4, 6-1
4. Trey Yates (UK) def. Scott Jones (UT) 7-6 (7-5), 7-6 (7-4)
5. Preston Touliatos (UT) def. Austin Hussey (UK) 6-1, 7-5
6. Gus Benson (UK) def. Luca Wiedenmann (UT) 7-5, 2-6, 6-3
Doubles
1. #24 Preston Touliatos/Luis Valero (UT) def. #36 Cesar Bourgois/Gus Benson (UK) 6-3
2. Timo Stodder/Adam Walton (UT) def. Will Bushamuka/Austin Hussey (UK) 6-2
3. Andrew Rogers/Scott Jones (UT) vs. Ryotaro Matsumura/Enzo Wallart (UK) 3-3, unfinished
Order of Finish: Doubles (2,1); Singles (1,5,6,4,3,2)
Players Mentioned
