April 3, 2009

OXFORD, Miss. –

Second-ranked Ole Miss was too much for the No. 13 Kentucky men’s tennis team winning 5-2 Friday at home in Oxford where the Rebels have only lost three times over the past six years.

UK (13-7, 3-4 SEC) tallied points on courts four and five from Alex Musialek and Graeme Dyce, respectively. Additionally, the No. 19 Wildcat tandem of senior Bruno Agostinelli and sophomore Brad Cox knocked off the No. 2 doubles team in the country with an 8-5 defeat of Ole Miss’ Jonas Berg and Bram ten Berge. The Cats pair defeated the Rebels in late January as well when the duo was ranked first in the country.

“Ole Miss was just better than we were today,” UK head coach Dennis Emery said. “They are a very good team outdoors at home; it’s a difficult place to win. I thought we played a good match, they were just better. We took steps in the right direction as a team today.

“I thought we played really well at No. 1 doubles. Musialek also played well today. He came back from 8-4 down in the super-breaker to win his match 12-10; it was a great comeback against a nationally-ranked player.”

Ole Miss (17-2, 7-0 SEC) remains undefeated in the conference and has not lost at home this season.

The teams started out on the doubles courts.

After Agostinelli and Cox put the Cats up early on court one. The Rebels came back to win the point on courts two and three. Rebels Kalle Norberg and Otto Sauer defeated sophomore Alberto Gonzalez and Musialek 8-5 on court three to even the count. Later, the Ole Miss tandem of Devin Britton and Tucker Vorster beat UK freshmen Graeme Dyce and Eric Quigley 8-2 to clinch the point.

Ole Miss’ Marcel Thiemann kept things going for the Rebels on singles court six against Gonzalez. Thiemann topped the Wildcat 6-0, 6-2 to stretch the lead to 2-0.

On court three, No. 37 Norberg took out Cox in straight sets 6-3, 6-4 to give Ole Miss a 3-0 advantage.

Playing for the first time at the No. 2 slot since early this season, Quigley battled No. 29 Britton. The Rebel doubled up the score in the first for a 6-3 win. Quigley battled back in the second, forcing a tiebreak before Britton closed out the 7-6 victory by taking the breaker 7-5 to clinch the team match point for Ole Miss.

The Cats got on the scoreboard on court five as Sauer was forced to retire after leading Dyce 4-3 in the second and winning the first set.

Court one’s battle of ranked players came down to a third-set super-breaker. No. 23 Berg took the first set 6-3 over No. 5 Agostinelli. The Wildcat posted the same winning score in the second. Berg got the better of Agostinelli in the 10-point breaker though, winning 10-6 for the Rebels’ final match point.

Musialek closed things out for the Wildcats with his victory on court four over No. 122 ten Berge. The Wildcat took the first set 6-4 but ten Berge edged the rookie 7-5 in the second to force the 10-point super-breaker. Musialek scored eight of the final ten points to notch the 12-10 tiebreak victory and give the Cats their final point.

The Wildcats face No. 60 Mississippi State in Starkville, Miss., Sunday at 2:00 p.m. ET.

Please visit UKathletics.com for all of the latest Kentucky men’s tennis news.

Apr. 3, 2009
Oxford, Miss. (Palmer/Salloum Tennis Center)

Singles


1. #23 Jonas Berg (OM) def. #5 Bruno Agostinelli (UK) 3-6, 6-3, 10-6
2. #29 Devin Britton (OM) def. Eric Quigley (UK) 6-3, 7-6(5)
3. #37 Kalle Norberg (OM) def. Brad Cox (UK) 6-3, 6-4
4. Alex Musialek (UK) def. #122 Bram tenBerge (OM) 6-4, 5-7, 12-10
5. Graeme Dyce (UK) def. Otto Sauer (OM) 4-6, 3-4, ret.
6. Marcel Thiemann (OM) def. Alberto Gonzalez (UK) 6-0, 6-2

Order of finish: 6, 3, 2*, 5, 1, 4

Doubles

1. #19 Bruno Agostinelli / Brad Cox (UK) def. #2 Jonas Berg / Bram ten Berge (OM) 8-5
2. Devin Britton / Tucker Vorster (OM) def. Graeme Dyce / Eric Quigley (UK) 8-2
3. Kalle Norberg / Otto Sauer (OM) def. Alberto Gonzalez / Alex Musialek (OM) 8-5

Order of finish: 1, 3, 2