Alabama
TCU
Tide Falls 4-3 to TCU on Sunday
2/5/2012 12:00:00 AM | Men's Tennis
Feb. 5, 2012
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. - The men's tennis team dropped a 4-3 decision to TCU on Sunday, falling to 1-3 on the season. With the win, the Horned Frogs improved to 2-3 on the year.
"I give credit to TCU," said Alabama head coach Billy Pate. "They came out in singles and played well. We simply didn't execute as well as we should have on a few courts. It's a disappointing loss, and we're simply underperforming as a team, however we are close to being much better. We'll correct these areas and get back on track, but right now it is very frustrating."
In doubles, the Crimson Tide took an early lead with an 8-2 win on court two by freshman David Vieyra and junior Jarryd Botha over TCU senior Paul Chappell and freshman Will Stein. The Horned Frogs struck back quickly however with an 8-5 win on court one by freshman Nick Chappell and junior JT Sundling over Alabama seniors Ricky Doverspike and Michael Thompson. The Tide earned the doubles point as sophomore Carlos Taborga and senior Vikram Reddy defeated TCU senior Daniel Sanchez and freshman Blake Wiggins, 8-4, on court three.
In singles play, TCU evened the score quickly as Sundling defeated Doverspike 6-1, 6-1 on court two. The Tide responded on court five when Taborga pulled out a close second set 6-3, 7-5 win against Horned Frog sophomore Max Stevens, however TCU would pull out wins on courts one and six in quick succession to give them the win. Alabama sophomore Daniil Proskura rallied from a first set loss to win 6-7, 6-2, 10-6 over Horned Frog senior Paul Chappell to give the Tide the final point.
"We have a lot of young guys that are learning, and we need them to step up," added Pate. "We also need our upperclassmen to set a tone with strong leadership. When those two things happen these close matches will go our way."
Next up, Alabama will host a doubleheader against Furman and Troy. First serve is set for 10 a.m. and 3 p.m., respectively.
Doubles
1. N. Chappell/Sundling (TCU) def. Doverspike/Thompson (UA) 8-5
2. Vieyra/Botha (UA) def. P. Chappell/Stein (TCU) 8-2
3. Taborga/Reddy (UA) def. Sanchez/Wiggins (TCU) 8-4
Order of Finish: 2,1,3
Singles
1. Nick Chappell (TCU) def. Jarryd Botha (UA) 6-4, 6-3
2. JT Sundling (TCU) def. Ricky Doverspike (UA) 6-1, 6-1
3. Daniel Sanchez (TCU) def. Vikram Reddy (UA) 6-2, 6-4
4. Daniil Proskura (UA) def. Paul Chappell (TCU) 6-7, 6-2, 10-6
5. Carlos Taborga (UA) def. Max Stevens (TCU) 6-3, 7-5
6. Facundo Lugones (TCU) def. Michael Thompson (UA) 6-4, 6-4
Order of Finish: 2,5,1,6,3*,4
Players Mentioned
