Sept. 25, 2011
LEXINGTON, Ky. – The University of Kentucky men’s tennis team wrapped up a successful day on the courts Sunday with senior No. 3 Eric Quigley, sophomore Alejandro Gomez, and doubles duo Maks Gold and Ryuji Hirooka, each punching their ticket to play in a Southern Intercollegiate title match on Monday at the Dan Magill Tennis Complex in Athens, Ga.
The Southern Intercollegiate will award five winners at the event: division I singles title, division II singles title, division III singles title, division I doubles title and division II doubles title. Of those five title matches, Kentucky is represented in three of them, which is more than any of the 25 other schools at the event. UK has a player in both the division I and division II singles finals and has a doubles duo in the division II doubles finals.
Quigley, who is ranked No. 3 in singles by the Intercollegiate Tennis Association, took down two ranked foes Sunday, defeating No. 107 Hernus Pieters of Georgia in the quarterfinals in dominating fashion 6-2, 6-0. The native of Pewee Valley, Ky., continued his stellar tournament run by defeating No. 24 Sadio Doumbia of Georgia in straight sets 6-3, 6-4.
The UK senior will face a familiar foe in the division I finals on Monday, squaring off against No. 6 Wil Spencer of Georgia at 10 a.m. ET. Quigley and Spencer faced each other twice last season, with the Georgia star winning both matches.
Gomez will represent Kentucky in the division II finals after posting two straight-set wins Sunday. The UK sophomore started the day with a 6-2, 6-2 win over Chris Mark of Davidson in the quarterfinals before defeating Lucas Santana of Georgia State in the semifinals 6-3, 6-4. Gomez will play in the finals against Austin Powell of North Carolina State at 10 a.m. ET.
A native of Cali, Colombia, Gomez has played brilliant tennis so far this fall season, posting a 9-0 record with all nine wins coming in straight sets.
Kentucky will also be represented in doubles action as sophomores Gold and Hirooka earned a spot in the division II doubles bracket final. The UK duo defeated Lucas Lopasso and Rafael Rondino of Auburn 9-7 in the semifinals and will face Dejon Bivens and Dylan Comerford in the finals on Monday at 10 a.m. ET.
A complete list of results can be found below. For more information on the Kentucky men’s tennis team, visit UKathletics.com.
Southern Intercollegiate Championships – Sunday, Sept. 25 – UK Results
Division I Singles:
No. 3 Eric Quigley (UK) def. No. 107 Hernus Pieters (Georgia) 6-2, 6-0
No. 3 Eric Quigley (UK) def. No. 24 Sadio Doumbia (Georgia) 6-3, 6-4
No. 3 Eric Quigley (UK) vs. No. 6 Wil Spencer (Georgia) 10 a.m. ET – FINALS
Division II Singles:
Alejandro Gomez (UK) def. Chris Mark (Davidson) 6-2, 6-2
Alejandro Gomez (UK) def. Lucas Santana (Ga. State) 7-5, 6-0
Alejandro Gomez (UK) def. Austin Powell (N.C. State) 10 a.m. ET – FINALS
Panav Jha (UK) def. Tristan Stayt (Liberty) 6-1, 6-1 – Consolation second round
Division III Singles:
Will Rollinson (N.C. State) def. Matt Davis (UK) 6-2, 6-4
Division I Doubles:
Didrik Berg/Njal Stene (Stetson) def. Anthony Rossi/Tom Jomby (UK) 8-6
Division II Doubles:
Maks Gold/Ryuji Hirooka (UK) def. Wayne Harrell/Tristan Stayt (Liberty) w/o
Maks Gold/Ryuji Hirooka (UK) def. Lucas Lopasso/Rafael Rondino (Auburn) 9-7
Maks Gold/Ryuji Hirooka (UK) vs. Dejon Bivens/Dylan Comerford (Winthrop) 10 a.m. – FINALS
