Vols Sweep Penn and The Citadel To Remain Unbeaten

Monday, January 20

Knoxville, TN

10 AM

University of Tennessee

Penn

Photo by: Maury Neipris/Tennessee Athletics

January 20, 2020 | Men's Tennis

Box Score 1 Box Score 2 Box Score vs. Penn Box Score vs. The Citadel

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – The No. 18 Tennessee men's tennis team remained unbeaten Monday after back-to-back 7-0 sweeps of Penn and The Citadel at the Goodfriend Tennis Center.

Four of UT's five wins, including three-straight, this season have come via the sweep.

Individually, three of the Vols' main starters are still undefeated in singles play as senior Luca Wiedenmann improved to 5-0 with two wins on the day while 23rd-ranked Adam Walton and graduate transfer Giles Hussey moved to 4-0.

In doubles, Walton is now 5-0 with three victories coming with junior Mark Wallner and two more wins paired with sophomore Martim Prata. Hussey has paired with senior Scott Jones in doubles and the duo stand at 4-0 after Monday's matches.

Freshman Finn Stodder made his Tennessee dual match debut against The Citadel, picking up the first dual match win of his career. Wallner made his dual match singles debut against the Bulldogs as well, earning his first singles win of the spring.

PENN

Tennessee (5-0) took the doubles point to go ahead of Penn early in the match with victories on courts three and one. Wallner and Walton easily dispatched the Quaker's Max Cancilla and Zach Smith 6-0 on three before Andrew Rogers and Pat Harper clinched the doubles point on one with a win over Kevin Zhu and Dmitry Shatalin 6-3.

Hussey and Jones went unfinished for the first time this season on court two.

Rogers was the first Vol finished in singles as he took down Harsh Parikh 6-2, 6-3 on court six, giving UT a 2-0 lead in the match. Jones finished next with a 6-4, 6-1 defeat of No. 88 Zhu on court two.

Mr. Clincher himself, Wiedenmann gave the Big Orange their fourth and match clinching point on court four with a 6-0, 4-6, 6-1 win over Jason Hildebrant.

Hussey knocked off Aditya Gupta 6-4, 7-6 (7-3) on court five and was followed up by Prata on two who beat Shatalin in three sets 4-6, 6-3, 7-5.

Walton was the final Vol off the court as he defeated Edoardo Graziani 7-6 (8-6), 3-6, 6-3 on court one.

THE CITADEL

In the second match of the day, UT squared off with The Citadel and as it has done all season long took the doubles point to open up a 1-0 lead. Wallner and Walton again won on court three in dominating 6-0 fashion over the Bulldogs Will Graham and Willem van Zyl.

Gavin Stewart and Zvonko Bencedic responded for The Citadel on court one with a 6-3 win over Rogers and Harper to even up the doubles point at one court apiece. Hussey and Jones came through for the Big Orange on court two with a doubles point clinching victory over Phillip Quinn and Noah Nawabi 6-4.

Tennessee cruised through all six singles courts, winning all of them in straight-sets. Prata gave UT a 2-0 match lead with his win on two 6-0, 6-0 over Graham. Wiedenmann quickly followed suit with a 6-0, 6-0 victory of his own on four over Jack Pyritz.

Wallner defeated Bencedic on five 6-3, 6-1, clinching the match and picking up his first singles dual match win of the season. Rogers took down Nawabi on court three 6-2, 6-2 before Stodder knocked off Quinn on six 6-1, 6-2.

Jones wrapped up the sweep on court one with a 6-2, 7-5 victory over Stewart.

UP NEXT

Tennessee will be an ITA Kick-Off host site this coming weekend as the Vols welcome No. 15 Oklahoma State, No. 19 Columbia and No. 25 Arizona State to Rocky Top. The winner of the ITA Kick-Off Knoxville Regional will advance to the ITA Indoor National Championships in Madison, Wis., Feb. 13-16.

The Big Orange open against Arizona State on Jan. 25 at 2 p.m. and will then play either Oklahoma State or Columbia on Jan. 26.