Alabama
South Carolina
Men's Tennis Edged by Gamecocks, 4-3
3/30/2012 12:00:00 AM | Men's Tennis
March 30, 2012
COLUMBIA, S.C. - The men's tennis team dropped a close 4-3 decision to South Carolina on Friday at the Carolina Tennis Center. With the loss, the Crimson tide drops to 6-11 on the season and 1-6 in Southeastern Conference play, while the Gamecocks improve to 14-7 overall and 1-6 in the league.
"This was another match where certain guys had good days and others did not," said Alabama head coach Billy Pate. "It is very frustrating because there's very little consistency. I know our guys feel things simply aren't bouncing their way at times, but as we all know, we have to create our own luck and opportunities."
South Carolina edged Alabama for the doubles point to take the early lead. The Gamecocks took court two when senior Ivan Machado and freshman Thiago Pinheiro defeated sophomore Carlos Taborga and senior Vikram Reddy, 8-5. Alabama evened things up when senior Ricky Doverspike and junior Jarryd Botha defeated No. 47 sophomores Chip Cox and Nick Jones, 9-8 (3) on court one. However, the Gamecocks rallied on court three to edge Alabama 9-7 as senior Michael Thompson and freshman David Vieyra fell to South Carolina freshmen Kyle Koch and Carl Eguez.
Nick Jones solidified the lead for the Gamecocks with a 6-4, 6-1 win over Alabama's Botha on court two. Cox put South Carolina within one victory of the win with a 6-3, 6-3 decision on court five against Vieyra. Sophomore Daniil Proskura got Alabama on the board with his 6-3, 6-4 victory over Pinheiro, while Doverspike followed that up with another win for the Tide on court one in his 6-2, 6-3 victory over No. 121 Machado. Freshman Andrew Adams clinched the win for the Gamecocks by defeating Alabama's Reddy 7-5, 6-1 on court three. The Tide struck last, however, when Thompson battled in the tiebreak to win 7-5, 3-6, 1-0 over Koch.
"Jarryd was pretty sick, but we made the decision to leave him in," added Pate. "He was okay for doubles and was able to tough out a win, but he clearly was not himself physically for singles. I was proud of Daniil and Ricky's solid play and how Thompson showed poise in finishing a tough match. Unfortunately, we needed one more to go our way."
Next up Alabama faces off against No. 11 Florida in Gainesville on Sunday. First serve is set for Noon CT.
RESULTS
Doubles
1. Doverspike/Botha (UA) def. No. 47 Cox/Jones (SC) 9-8(3)
2. Machado/Pinheiro (SC) def. Reddy/Taborga (UA) 8-5
3. Koch/Eguez (SC) def. Vieyra/Thompson (UA) 9-7
Order of Finish: 2,1,3*
Singles
1. Ricky Doverspike (UA) def. No. 121 Ivan Machado (SC) 6-2, 6-3
2. Nick Jones (SC) def. Jarryd Botha (UA) 6-4, 6-1
3. Andrew Adams (SC) def. Vikram Reddy (UA) 7-5, 6-1
4. Daniil Proskura (UA) def. Thiago Pinheiro (SC) 6-3, 6-4
5. Chip Cox (SC) def. David Vieyra (UA) 6-3, 6-3
6. Michael Thompson (UA) def. Kyle Koch (SC) 7-5, 3-6, 1-0(11)
Order of Finish: 2,5,4,1,3*,6
Players Mentioned
