March 9, 2007

COLUMBIA, S.C. — The nation’s top-ranked team proved to be too much for South Carolina as Georgia defeated the Gamecocks, 7-0, in men’s tennis action on Friday at the Sam Daniel Tennis Center in Columbia. With the loss, Carolina fell to 9-5 on the season and 1-2 in Southeastern Conference matches. The Gamecocks host No. 38 Tennessee on Sunday, March 11, at home.

Georgia remains unbeaten with a 13-0 overall record and a 3-0 SEC mark.

The Bulldog lineup is loaded with ranked players and a depleted Carolina roster was unable to muster get on the board. Georgia claimed a 1-0 lead by sweeping all three doubles matches. The tandem of Jamie Hunt and Nate Schnugg defeated the South Carolina freshman duo of Spencer Feldman and David Wolff, 8-1, at No. 3 doubles. At the No. 2 spot, Carolina’s Thomas Stoddard and Joseph Veeder fell to Travis Helgeson and Matic Omerzel, who holds the No. 8 national ranking, 8-4. UGA completed the sweep when the nation’s No. 1 doubles team of John Isner and Luis Flores topped Gamecock freshmen Pedro Campos and Ivan Cressoni.

The Bulldogs gained a 2-0 lead after Omerzel, who is ranked No. 34, polished off a 6-1, 6-0 win over Cressoni at No. 2 singles. Wolff fell to No. 46-ranked Schnugg, 6-3, 6-1, at the No. 3 position to push Georgia within one point of clinching the match. Isner, the nation’s top-ranked singles player, sealed Georgia’s victory with a 6-2, 6-1, win over Campos.

Stoddard dropped a 6-2, 6-3 decision to Christian Vitulli at the fifth spot. Veeder battled Joshua Varela at No. 6 singles, but succumbed, 7-5. 6-1. In the final match at No. 4 singles, Feldman surrendered the first set to Hunt, 6-2, but bounced back to take the second 6-3. With the outcome of the match already decided, Feldman and Hunt, who is No. 51 in the latest singles rankings, played a 10-point tiebreaker. Hunt regained momentum and went on to win 10-5.

Junior Yevgeny Supkeo did not play in today’s match after undergoing wrist surgery earlier this week. Supeko is currently undefeated this spring with a 12-0 record in singles. Senior Pedro Rodrigues also missed the contest as he is match-to-match with a shoulder injury.

No. 1 Georgia 7, No. 46 South Carolina 0

Doubles
No. 1 #1 Isner/Flores (UGA) def. Campos/Cressoni (USC), 8-3
No. 2 #8 Helgeson/Omerzel (UGA) def. Stoddard/Veeder (USC), 8-4
No. 3 Hunt/Schnugg (UGA) def. Feldman/Wolff (USC), 8-1
Order of Finish: 3, 2, 1

Singles
No. 1 #1 John Isner (UGA) def. Pedro Campos (USC), 6-2, 6-1
No. 2 #34 Matic Omerzel (UGA) def. Ivan Cressoni (USC), 6-1, 6-0
No. 3 # 46 Nate Schnugg (UGA) def. David Wolff (USC), 6-3, 6-1
No. 4 #51 Jamie Hunt (UGA) def. Spencer Feldman 6-3, 3-6, 1-0 (5)
No. 5 Christian Vitulli (UGA) def. Thomas Stoddard , 6-2, 6-3
No. 6 Joshua Varela (UGA) def. Joseph Veeder (USC), 7-5, 6-1

Order of Finish: 2, 3,1, 5, 6, 4