March 4, 2011
LEXINGTON, Ky. – The 12th-ranked University of Kentucky men’s tennis team used a dominating performance in both singles and doubles to defeat No. 31 Ole Miss 5-2 and earn its first win at Ole Miss in over 20 years Friday.
Kentucky (12-3, 1-0 Southeastern Conference) opened up SEC play in style with a historic road victory, posting its first win over the Rebels in Oxford since the 1988 season. Ole Miss (5-3, 0-1 SEC) has been nearly unbeatable at home since the year 2000, earning a 125-12 record.
“Overall, I thought that this was a great win for us because going on the road to play Ole Miss in your SEC opener is a really tough thing to do,” UK head coach Dennis Emery said. “Our guys responded really well to the challenge of playing one of the best programs in the country, especially at their place. They are a top-20 preseason team for a reason and I felt that we really got over the hump today by playing solid throughout our lineup.”
Kentucky began the match by winning the doubles point, moving to 7-0 this season when it claims the doubles point. UK did well on all three courts in doubles, getting wins at courts two and three. Junior Alex Musialek and sophomore Anthony Rossi began doubles with a 8-4 win over Jonas Lutjen and Johan Backstrom, while freshman Tom Jomby and senior Alberto Gonzalez clinched the doubles point with a 8-4 win over Tucker Vorster and Kalle Norberg.
“Obviously a big key to this match was the doubles point,” Emery said. “We were disappointed to play the match indoors because we were looking forward to getting outside, but we played a great match nonetheless and it began with doubles where we just really served the ball well.”
In singles, UK got victories from No. 5 Eric Quigley, No. 57 Musialek, No. 86 Gonzalez and Rossi. Quigley took down No. 100 Marcel Thiemann 7-6, 6-2 at No 1 singles, while Musialek defeated No. 101 Tucker Vorster at No. 2 singles 6-4, 6-3.
“I thought that a big key to the match was how Eric Quigley played at No. 1 singles,” Emery said. “He went down 6-4 in the first set tiebreaker but rallied back to win the first set and then finish off the match in the second set. That was a big win for Eric because it was a rematch from last year when he lost to Marcel in the SEC Tournament and the NCAA Round of 16.
“No doubt that Alex Musialek played one of his best matches of the year today too,” Emery said. “He served really well to get up a break in the first set and then took control of the match with his serve in the second set. Alex lost to (Tucker) Vorster last year so for him to come down here and get a win this year shows his development.”
Kentucky clinched the match at No. 4 singles when Gonzalez defeated Lutjen 6-3, 6-3 to improve his record to 6-1 in dual matches since moving to the No. 4 singles position. Rossi conclude the UK scoring by grabbing a 6-2, 6-3 win over Backstrom at No. 5 singles to improve his record to 7-2 this season.
The Wildcats will be in action again Sunday when they travel to Starkville, Miss., to take on No. 43 Mississippi State at 2 p.m. ET. The Bulldogs opened SEC play Friday with a convincing win over top-25 ranked Vanderbilt.
For more information on the Kentucky men’s tennis team, visit UKathletics.com or follow “University of Kentucky men’s tennis team” on Facebook.
AGATE
DOUBLES
1. Thiemann/Thiemann (OM) vs. Quigley/Cox (UK) 4-4, sus.
2. Jomby/Gonzalez (UK) def. Vorster/Norberg (OM) 8-4
3. Rossi/Musialek (UK) def. Lutjen/Backstrom (OM) 8-4
Order of Finish: 3, 2
SINGLES
1. Eric Quigley (UK) def. Marcel Thiemann (OM) 7-6 (7), 6-2
2. Alex Musialek (UK) def. Tucker Vorster (OM) 6-4, 6-3
3. Kalle Norberg (OM) def. Brad Cox (UK) 6-2, 6-1
4. Alberto Gonzalez (UK) def. Jonas Lutjen (OM) 6-3, 6-3
5. Anthony Rossi (UK) def. Johan Backstrom (OM) 6-2, 6-3
6. Adrian Forberg Skogeng (OM) def. Tom Jomby (UK) 6-7, ret.
Order of Finish: 3, 2, 1, 4, 6, 5
