2021 NET NEWS, Volume 11
4/10/2021 8:57:00 PM | Men's Tennis
Happy Easter Week,
I hope all of you enjoyed a sunny and delightful Easter weekend with family and friends. We enjoyed a celebratory weekend ourselves beginning with a salute to our seniors at home on Good Friday (Night) followed by an exciting Resurrection Day on Sunday in Oxford. The colors found in our Easter basket were maroon, white, red and navy blue representing Mississippi State and Ole Miss, both of which were from the Magnolia State (the official nickname for Mississippi…the magnolia is the state flower and state tree).
First on Friday against the Bulldogs of Starkville, one team manager (Abi Gossett) and nine players (Edson Ortiz, Alexey Nesterov, Zhe Zhou, Jeremy Gschwendtner, Sam Fischer, Grant Stuckey, Riccardo Roberto, Gabi Diaz Freire & Vincent Rettke) were recognized for their contributions to the men's tennis program. A large group indeed who has been largely responsible for the noticeable progress made in our program over the past few years. A great crowd of fans, friends and family gave their ovation from the stands above, as each person was introduced with their unique and customary nickname from Alabama Tennis PA announcer, Alan "Mr. C" Cunningham.Â
Doubles began with plenty of adrenaline and excitement. Zhe and Gabi were the first to deliver a win on court #2 while Mississippi State followed up with an equalizer on court #1. The deciding doubles point was claimed on court #3 as Edson and Alexey squeezed by their opponents in a tiebreaker, 7-5. One interesting twist came on our third match point when one of the Bulldogs touched the net before the point was officially over. Tennis rules state that if any part of a player's body, clothing, or racket touches the net or net posts while the ball is in play, the opponent earns the point. Once the point ends (e.g., the ball bounces twice or lands outside of the court), it is okay to touch the net. The chair umpire on this court was on top of the action and made the correct and awkward call to give us the 1-0 lead.
Onto singles where we went with three grad students (Edson, Zhe & Gabi) and three seniors (Patrick, Riccardo & Jeremy) determined to keep the momentum going. PK struck first with his offensive and aggressive play, avenging a fall loss to his opponent and pushing us up 2-0. Jeremy, who was back in SEC action after sustaining an injury against South Carolina in mid-February, worked his opponent side to side efficiently and effectively and increased our lead to 3-0. After "Hail State" put up a point on court #4 and created a little momentum of their own, the focus all centered on one bank of courts as the remaining matches were being staged #1, 3 & 5. After losing the first set 6-1, Edson fought off two match points in the second, stole that set and gave himself a chance to clinch the battle at 5-4 in the third. Riccardo was up a service break in the third and Zhe was in a tug-of-war in his final frame. The margins were very slim but the message to the players from the coaches was to "go for it!" Edson did just that and went after his opponent like a bull charging a waving muleta. An inside out, short forehand winner on his first match point brought Edson flat to the ground, sent his teammates charging the court and created loud cheers from the fans above. While Zhe valiantly lost his 3-setter, Riccardo converted his opportunities en route to a victory and a 5-2 team win. The team celebrated in the locker room with chants, cheers and plenty of water everywhere while singing our fight song (emphasizing the "teach the Bulldogs to behave" line). Match Bama! Roll Tide!
Not sure how much sleep everyone got that night but we left for Oxford Saturday morning with a little spring in our step. A three-hour journey ensued and thus began our preparation to face the Rebels on Easter. We had faced Ole Miss earlier in the season at the ITA Kickoff but left Raleigh scratching our heads and wondering what had just happened. Over the years, we've always had close matches with the Rebels much like we always seem to do with South Carolina. The loss indoors at Kickoff just didn't seem right so we had plenty to prove to ourselves and our opponents.
Like we did at home on Friday, Ole Miss celebrated Senior Day but with a much smaller group. In fact, the Rebels recognized just one senior, Tim Sandkaulen, who was an All-American honoree and their top player in singles and doubles. Tim's teammates recognized him by dying their hair blue (as did Tim) which added to the blue courts and the bright blue sky above. There was a nice crowd on hand to take in the action and thankfully the neighboring fraternity houses were quiet as they have been known to add a little R-O-W-D-Y to Ole Miss home matches.Â
Doubles kicked off the Easter action and we were not all there physically or mentally. Not sure if it was an emotional hangover from Friday night or a lack of sleep, but we needed some sugar in the form of chocolate eggs, jelly beans or marshmallow peeps to get our engines going. After I challenged them in a quick meeting and didn't distribute candy, our guys went to court knowing this was not to become a sprint, but rather a marathon. Each of them would need to embrace the moment, step-by-step and point-by-point. We dropped one match to go down 0-2, but Riccardo "Rise & Shine" Roberto captured a win in fine fashion on court #5 (to the same player he lost to at Kickoff). Edson continued his hot streak with a straight set win at #1 which spoiled a Senior Day singles celebration for his Rebel opponent. Ole Miss 2, Bama 2. Zhe duplicated Edson's effort on court #3 pushing us ahead 3-2 with a pair of 3-setters left on court. More successful big serves and forehands proved to be the difference on Patrick's court as Ole Miss captured that match and evened the score 3-3. All eyes fell on court #6 where Jeremy faced a familiar opponent for a third time in his college career, but found himself down a service break, 1-4, in the final set. Both teams, some with blue hair and most without, stood alongside the court while the large Rebel home crowd cheered from the stands. Jeremy had been in this position several times before, with the match on the line, and once again, soaked up the moment. Point by point, game by game, the senior from London, England chipped away at the lead…1-4, 2-4, 3-4, 4-4. He then delivered a service break and changed ends with an opportunity to serve out the match 5-4. The excitement built and the volume of our team's cheers echoed in and out of the facility. Our Brit reached match point and a courageous call given to me by Coach Dimi Kutrovsky was communicated to Jeremy – time to serve and volley. Jeremy nodded in agreement and went to work. He converted a kick serve deep in the service box, sprinted to the net and volleyed the return short to the open court for a winner that sealed the victory. He collapsed to the ground like his fellow senior teammate Edson did on Friday night and welcomed his storming teammates on the ground. Match Bama! Roll Tide!
What a weekend! Resiliency, adversity, pluck, grit and playing to win. It was the first time since 2007 that Alabama has swept the Magnolia State, and to do it on senior weekend, at home and on the road, was no doubt a memorable moment created by a determined group of young men who now had even more spring in their step. The team celebrated the end of their Easter weekend with a feast at Oxford Burger Company before traveling back to Tuscaloosa with bellies full and smiles from ear to ear…kind of like how many kids probably felt after devouring their Easter baskets filled with tasty treats.
The duration of our regular season will now be on the road as our travels take us to Fayetteville, Baton Rouge, College Station and back to Fayetteville for the SEC Championships. First up are the Razorbacks who are named after Tusk V, a Russian boar, which closely resemble wild hogs native to the Arkansas wilderness. They are tough, and at times ill-tempered, with fearlessness and doggedness that has inspired the Arkansas Razorback nickname. There won't be any blue hair this Sunday at 1 pm but there will be plenty of Hog fans cheering on their home team with their trademarked Hog Call – Wooo, Pig, Sooie! Catch the action online with live streaming and stats at rolltide.com, and if you happen to be in the area, stop by as admission is free as is the right to yell "Ala! Bama!". We look forward to continuing this spring with a determined spring in our step and a competitive focus that will keep the Tide rising in the home stretch of the season.
Roll Tide,
George
George Husack
Head Men's Tennis Coach
The University of Alabama
Players Mentioned
