April 23, 2010
LEXINGTON, Ky. –
Fifth-seeded Ole Miss won the doubles point and never looked back, taking down the fourth-seed and tournament host University of Kentucky men’s tennis team 4-0 in quarterfinal action at the Southeastern Conference Championship on Friday at the Hilary J. Boone Tennis Complex.
The loss eliminates Kentucky (23-8) while Ole Miss advances to the semifinals to battle top-seed and second-ranked Tennessee on Saturday at 1 p.m. The Volunteers defeated No. 9-seed LSU 4-0 in quarterfinal play Friday night.
“Ole Miss is just a really competitive team and you saw that today,” UK head coach Dennis Emery said. “We played them and beat them four weeks ago and they have improved tremendously since then. We didn’t play our best today, but that was due in large part to how Ole Miss played.”
Ole Miss (18-6), ranked 19th in the Intercollegiate Tennis Association rankings, gained the doubles point with wins at No. 1 and No. 2 doubles. The 26th-ranked doubles team of Chris Thiemann and Marcel Thiemann defeated No. 25 Eric Quigley and Brad Cox 8-5. The Rebels clinched the doubles point when Tucker Vorster and Jonas Lutjen defeated Alberto Gonzalez and Alex Lambropoulos 8-4 at the No. 2 doubles position. Frenchmen Anthony Rossi and Alex Musialek did not finish the No. 3 doubles match, but trailed Harry Fowler and Adrian Skogeng 6-4.
The Rebels finished off the victory with wins at Nos. 1, 3 and 6 singles. No. 49-ranked Marcel Thiemann defeated No. 13 Eric Quigley 6-4, 6-2 at No. 1 singles while Lutjen defeated Cox 6-1, 6-4 at No. 3 singles to give the Rebels a 3-0 lead. Ole Miss finished off the match getting a 6-2, 7-6 (7-2) victory by Fowler over Lambropoulos at No. 6 singles.
Kentucky was in line to get points at Nos. 4 and 5 singles as Rossi was leading Chris Theiman 7-6 (7-5), 3-0 at No. 4 and Gonzalez led Skogeng 6-1, 5-4 at No. 5 when the match was abandoned.
The NCAA Men’s Tennis Championships field is announced on May 4.
In other quarterfinal action on Friday, No. 6-seed Auburn upset No. 3-seed Georgia 4-3 and No.2-seed Florida defeated No. 10-seed Mississippi State 4-1.
Semifinal action at the SEC Championship begins at 10 a.m. ET on Saturday with Auburn taking on Florida. The Ole Miss-Tennessee matchup is scheduled for 1 p.m. ET.
Hilary J. Boone Tennis Center – Lexington, Ky.
Quarterfinals – Match 7
#5 Ole Miss (ITA No.19) 4, #4 Kentucky (ITA No. 12) 0
Doubles
1. No. 26 Chris Thiemann/Marcel Thiemann (OM) def. No. 25 Eric Quigley/Brad Cox (UK) 8-5
2. Tucker Vortser/Jonas Lutjen (OM) def. Alberto Gonzalez/Alex Lambropolous (UK) 8-4
3. Harry Fowler/Adrian Skogeng (OM) vs. Alex Musialek/Anthony Rossi (UK) 6-4, dnf
Singles
1. No. 49 Marcel Thiemann (OM) def. No. 13 Eric Quigley (UK) 6-4, 6-2
2. No. 88 Tucker Vorster (OM) vs. No. 50 Alex Musialek (UK) 6-4, 2-4, dnf
3. Jonas Lutjen (OM)def. Brad Cox (UK) 6-1, 6-4
4. Anthony Rossi (UK) vs. Chris Thiemann (OM) 7-6 (7-5), 3-0, dnf
5. Alberto Gonzalez (UK) vs. Adrian Skogeng (OM) 6-1, 5-4, dnf
6. Harry Fowler (OM) def. Alex Lambropoulos (UK) 6-2, 7-6 (7-2)
Order of Finish: Doubles: 2, 1* Singles: 3, 1, 6*
