Alabama
Miami
Men's Tennis Drops 5-2 Decision at Miami
3/17/2012 12:00:00 AM | Men's Tennis
March 17, 2012
CORAL GABLES, Fla. - The Alabama men's tennis team fell 5-2 to Miami on Saturday afternoon at the Neil Schiff Tennis Center. With the loss, the Crimson Tide dips to 6-8 on the season, while the win brings the Hurricanes to 6-4 overall.
"I give Miami credit," said Alabama head coach Billy Pate. "They looked like the hungrier team at the end of this match. This loss hurts. I'm very disappointed in how we didn't close out the matches or find a way to be successful. I'm not sure if we were overconfident after doubles, but we let this match get away. This was a gut check, and we didn't demonstrate the poise to be successful. Right now, we're too inconsistent and under maximizing our ability."
Alabama picked up a pair of 8-4 victories in doubles to win the early point. Senior Ricky Doverspike and junior Jarryd Botha were first to finish for the Tide, beating Miami sophomore Omar Aly and freshman Wilfredo Gonzalez at the No. 1 position. Senior Michael Thompson and freshman David Vieyra would clinch the point next at the No. 3 spot, topping junior Mark Schanerman and freshman Henrique Tsukamoto. The Hurricane sophomore duo of Gabriel Flores and Diego Soto wrapped up doubles play on court two, narrowly edging out Tide senior Vikram Reddy and sophomore Carlos Taborga, 8-7.
In singles, Soto evened the match with a win on court five, beating Vieyra, 6-4, 6-3. Doverspike gave Alabama the lead once again with his 6-2, 7-6 victory at No. 2 over Aly, but from there, the Hurricanes would go on to win the final four singles contests to take the match, all of which were decided in three sets. The matchup on court one was next to finish as Flores collected a 6-4, 3-6, 6-3 win over Botha, followed by a 6-4, 2-6, 6-4 win by junior Victor Mauz over Thompson on court six. The match was then clinched on court three by Gonzalez as he posted a 3-6, 7-6, 6-2 win against Tide sophomore Daniil Proskura. Action was closed out on court four where Tsukamoto claimed a 7-6, 1-6, 6-3 win over Reddy.
"The bright spot is we are capable of being much better, and we'll get plenty of chances to prove that starting next weekend when we resume conference play," added Pate. "Right now, everyone from me to each guy on the team needs to take ownership and get the ship righted. We're going to get back to work and correct these areas that are hurting us."
Next up, Alabama returns to SEC play when it takes on Vanderbilt in Nashville on Friday, March 23, at 2 p.m. CT.
RESULTS
Doubles
1. Botha/Doverspike (UA) def. Aly/Gonzalez (UM) 8-4
2. Flores/Soto (UM) def. Reddy/Taborga (UA) 8-7
3. Vieyra/Thompson (UA) def. Tsukamoto/Schanerman (UM) 8-4
Order of Finish: 1,3,2
Singles
1. Gabriel Flores (UM) def. Jarryd Botha (UA) 6-4, 3-6, 6-3
2. Ricky Doverspike (UA) def. Omar Aly (UM) 6-2, 7-6
3. Wilfredo Gonzalez (UM) def. Daniil Proskura (UA) 3-6, 7-6, 6-2
4. Henrique Tsukamoto (UM) def. Vikram Reddy (UA) 7-6, 1-6, 6-3
5. Diego Soto (UM) def. David Vieyra (UA) 6-4, 6-3
6. Victor Mauz (UM) def. Michael Thompson (UA) 6-4, 2-6, 6-4
Order of Finish: 5,2,1,6,3*,4
Players Mentioned
