LEXINGTON, Ky.?Sophomore Shane Collins? match at No. 6 singles sealed the win for No. 59 Kentucky over No. 53 South Carolina, 4-2, at the Hilary J. Boone Tennis Center on Friday afternoon.
Collins? used a 7-6 (12-10), 6-4 victory over Spencer Feldman to guide the Wildcats (13-11, 3-6) to their third conference victory.
In a match that saw two teams incredibly evenly-matched, UK needed every point they could muster to shake the visiting team. Four sets needed tie-breaking deciding points to decide a victor in this evening?s match that lasted almost five hours.
South Carolina took the opening doubles point with wins in the No. 2 and No. 3 slots. The duo of junior Marcus Sundh and senior Peter Bjork notched UK?s lone win in the doubles matches with an 8-4 victory at No. 1.
With South Carolina leading 1-0, Kentucky?s top three singles players dominated to straight set victories giving the home team a 3-1 advantage. Sundh started the scoring for the Cats with a 6-1, 7-6 (9-7) match over Pedro Rodrigues. Minuets later sophomore Bruno Agostinelli recorded a 6-3, 6-2 win at No. 1, defeating Yevgeny Supeko. Bjork continued the Wildcats? hot pace with a win at No. 3, easily beating Pedro Campos 6-1, 6-4.
With Kentucky ahead by two, they needed just one match to clinch their third win in SEC action. Freshman Jorge Jorge was locked in a 1-1 dual with Ivan Cressoni after both of the first two sets needed tie-breaker decisions. Cressoni opened with a 7-6 (8-6) win and Jorge followed suit with a 7-6 (10-8) victory. Cressoni prevailed in the third set, 6-3, moving the score to 3-2. That?s when Collins? match sealed the win for the Wildcats.
The Blue and White return to action on Easter Sunday for an afternoon showdown with No. 18 Florida. First serve is slated for 1 p.m. Complete coverage of the day?s results can be found at www.ukathletics.com.
#59 Kentucky 4, #53 South Carolina 2
Singles
1. #90 Bruno Agostinelli (UK) def. Yevgeny Supeko (SC) 6-3, 6-2
2. Marcus Sundh (UK) def. Pedro Rodrigues (SC) 6-1, 7-6 (9-7)
3. Peter Bjork (UK) def. Pedro Campos (SC) 6-1, 6-4
4. Ivan Cressoni (SC) 6-7, 7-6 def. Jorge Jorge (UK) 7-6 (8-6), 7-6 (10-8), 6-3
5. Kenny Hodge (UK) vs. David Wolff (SC) 6-7, 6-3, 2-1, susp.
6. Shane Collins (UK) def. Spencer Feldman (SC) 7-6 (12-10), 6-4
Order of Finish: 2, 1, 3, 4, 5
Doubles 1. Bjork/Sundh (UK) def. Joe Veeder/Thomas Stoddard 8-4
2. Supeko/Wolff (SC) def. Agostinelli/Hodge (UK) 8-4
3. Campos/Cressoni (SC) def. Collins/Jorge (UK) 8-3
Order of Finish: 3, 1, 2
