April 17, 2010
LEXINGTON, Ky. –
The eighth-ranked University of Kentucky men’s tennis team extended its win streak to seven matches with a 7-0 victory against No. 31 Vanderbilt in the regular-season finale for both teams Saturday at the Hilary J. Boone Tennis Complex.
The Wildcats won the two completed double matches and all six singles matches to improve to 23-7 overall and 8-3 in the Southeastern Conference. The contest with Vanderbilt (13-9, 5-6 SEC) was much closer than the score indicated with four singles matches and one doubles match involving tiebreakers that went in Kentucky’s favor.
“We were 5-0 in tiebreakers today,” UK head coach Dennis Emery said. “If those go in the other direction, it could have been a much different story. But, we played a very good match and played really well at the end of sets and in tiebreaker situations. Some days you just work hard and the close matches fall your way.”
Kentucky enters next week’s SEC Championship having won 12 of its last 13 matches and recording its most wins in season since the 1992 squad went 24-5 overall en route to winning the SEC title and finishing sixth at the NCAA Championships.
UK sophomore Eric Quigley completed the regular season undefeated in singles action during the month of April. The Pewee Valley, Ky., native listed No. 11 in the latest Intercollegiate Tennis Association rankings, pushed his April record to 9-0 with a 6-3, 7-6 (7-3) win over No. 30 Ryan Lipman at No. 1 singles in the matchup of nationally ranked players.
Kentucky’s other ranked singles player, 50th-ranked Alex Musialek, a sophomore from Dax, France, edged Vanderbilt’s Vijay Paul 7-6 (7-5), 6-2 at No. 2 singles.
The Wildcats clinched the team victory when freshman Anthony Rossi posted a straight-sets victory over Bryant Salcedo, 6-3, 6-2, at No. 4 singles.
Other UK winners included junior Brad Cox defeating Alex Zotov, 6-3, 7-6 (7-5) at No. 3 singles, junior Alberto Gonzalez topping Adam Baker 6-0, 6-1 at No. 5 singles and senior Alex Lambropoulos holding on to defeat Alex DiValerio 7-5, 6-7 (4-7), 10-7 in a super tiebreaker.
Kentucky scored the first point of the day, claiming both completed doubles matches. UK’s No. 23-ranked tandem of Quigley and Cox edged Baker and Zotov in a tiebreaker 9-8 (8-6) at No. 1 doubles after the Wildcat duo of Musialek and Rossi defeated Paul and DiValerio 8-6 at No. 3 doubles. The doubles match between UK’s Gonzalez and Rossi against Vanderbilt’s Lipman and Salcedo did not finish. The No. 2 doubles contest was tied 6-6.
Later tonight, Kentucky will officially learn its seeding in next week’s SEC Championship.
Stay tuned to UKathletics.com for the latest information on UK men’s tennis.
AGATE
No. 8 Kentucky 7, No. 31 Vanderbilt 0
Singles
1. No. 11 Eric Quigley (UK) def. No. 30 Ryan Lipman (VU) 6-3, 7-6 (7-3)
2. No. 50 Alex Musialek (UK) def. Vijay Paul (VU) 7-6 (7-5), 6-2
3. Brad Cox (UK) def. Alex Zotov (VU) 6-3, 7-6 (7-5)
4. Anthony Rossi (UK) def. Bryant Salcedo (VU) 6-3, 6-2
5. Alberto Gonzalez (UK) def. Adam Baker (VU) 6-0, 6-1
6. Alex Lambropoulos (UK) def. Alex DiValerio (VU) 7-5, 6-7 (4-7), 10-7
Order of Finish: 5, 3, 4, 1, 2, 6
Doubles
1. No. 23 Eric Quigley/Brad Cox (UK) def. Adam Baker/Alex Zotov (VU) 9-8 (8-6)
2. Alberto Gonzalez/Alex Lambropoulos (UK) vs. Ryan Lipman/Bryant Salcedo (VU) 6-6 DNF
3. Alex Musialek/Anthony Rossi (UK) def. Vijay Paul/Alex DiValerio (VU) 8-6
Order of Finish: 1, 3, 2
