University of Tennessee Athletics
University of Tennessee
UNC Wilmington
Vols Blank UNCW, Face Tar Heels on Sunday
May 12, 2018 | Men's Tennis
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. -- No. 20 Tennessee opened the NCAA Championships on a strong note Saturday, defeating UNC Wilmington 4-0 to advance to the second round at Cone-Kenfield Tennis Center.
The Vols (21-8)--who are competing past the tournament's opening round for the first time since 2014--will face regional host No. 7 North Carolina Sunday at 2 p.m. The Tar Heels defeated Campbell by a score of 4-0 on Saturday afternoon.
Tennessee got off to a quick start against the Seahawks (19-5), earning the match's first point with consecutive doubles wins. The seventh ranked pairing in the nation of Luis Valero and Preston Touliatos picked up right where they left off in the regular season, as the duo took down Raphael Calzi and Ignasi de Rueda by a score of 6-1. Andrew Rogers and Scott Jones collected a 6-3 victory on Court 3 to clinch the tally.
In singles, Luca Wiedenmann set the tone for the Vols, winning 6-1, 6-0 in dominant fashion on Court 6. The No. 16 ranked player in the nation, Timo Stodder, put UT one point away with a straight-sets victory of his own. Stodder defeated Andres Torres 6-3, 6-2 to collect his 29th singles win of the season.
Valero was able to close out the match and preserve the Tennessee sweep by defeating Agustin Savarino 6-3, 6-4 at No. 2. The senior now has played in seven dual matches this season in which he has won both his doubles and singles match.
Following the match, head coach Chris Woodruff shared his thoughts on the young Vols team gaining valuable experience in the NCAA tournament.
"I thought we navigated our first round okay," Woodruff said. "Our team is young but eager. I'm looking forward to the next match and seeing how we improve."
UP NEXT: Tennessee battles No. 7 North Carolina Sunday at 10 a.m. The Vols are 8-11 all-time against the Tar Heels, and the programs have not met since 2013.
#20 Tennessee 4, UNC Wilmington 0
Singles
1. #16 Timo Stodder (UT) def. Andres Torres (UNCW) 6-3, 6-2
2. Luis Valero (UT) def. Agustin Savarino (UNCW) 6-3, 6-4
3. Adam Walton (UT) vs. Ignasi de Rueda (UNCW) 1-6, 5-4, unfinished
4. Scott Jones (UT) vs. Michael Copeland (UNCW) 4-6, 3-3, unfinished
5. Nicaise Muamba (UT) vs. Daniel Groom (UNCW) 2-6, 3-5, unfinished
6. Luca Wiedenmann (UT) def. Josh Hublitz (UNCW) 6-1, 6-0
Doubles
1. #7 Valero/Touliatos (UT) def. Calzi/de Rueda (UNCW) 6-1
2. Stodder/Walton (UT) vs. Torres/Morphy (UNCW) 5-3, unfinished
3. Rogers/Jones (UT) def. Savarino/Copeland (UNCW) 6-3
Order of Finish: Doubles (1,3); Singles (6,1,2)
Players Mentioned
