GAMECOCKS FALL TO NO. 25 TENNESSEE IN SEC OPENER
March 3, 2018
#25 Tennessee 4, #29 South Carolina 2
COLUMBIA, S.C. – No. 29 South Carolina men’s tennis opened SEC play with a heartbreaking 4-2 loss at the hands of No. 25 Tennessee on Friday night at the Carolina Tennis Center, snapping the Gamecocks’ three-match win streak.
The Gamecocks dropped the doubles point after 6-1 and 6-2 decisions went in favor of the Volunteers on courts two and three.
South Carolina evened the match at 1-1 after Paul Jubb picked up a 7-5, 6-1 win and later evened the overall score at 2-2 behind Gabriel Friedrich’s second-straight win over a top-40 opponent. Tennessee edged out two tight victories in the Nos. 3 and 6 matches, clinching the victory after winning a tiebreak in the second set of the No. 3 match.
DOUBLES
Paul Jubb and Thomas Mayronne led their doubles match at 4-3 which was abandoned after the No. 48-ranked doubles pair of Gabriel Friedrich and Yancy Dennis dropped just their second doubles match of the season at the top of the order, followed by a 6-2 win from the Volunteers in the No. 3 match.
The Gamecocks are now 22-9 on the season in doubles in dual-match play.
DOUBLES (1,3*)
1. Luis Valero/Preston Touliatos (UT) def. Gabriel Friedrich/Yancy Dennis (SC) 6-1
2. Paul Jubb/Thomas Mayronne (SC) def. Nicaise Muamba/Andrew Rogers (UT) 4-3 (DNF)
3. Scott Jones/Timo Stodder (UT) def. Harrison O’Keefe/Wood Benton (SC) 6-2*
SINGLES
Paul Jubb evened the match score at 1-1 with a 7-5, 6-1 win over Preston Touliatos, moving his overall record to 13-6 on the season and improving his dual record to 8-1.
Gabriel Friedrich, the 66th ranked singles player in the latest ITA rankings, later evened the match at 2-2 after posting his fourth-straight singles victory, his second over a top-40 opponent as he powered through a three-set win over the No. 25 player in the nation in Timo Stodder at the top of the lineup.
The Volunteers would eventually clinch the match victory after a 6-4, 6-4 win in the No. 6 contest followed by a tiebreak to decide the No. 3 match 7-5, 7-6. SINGLES (2,4,1,6,3*)
1. Gabriel Friedrich (SC) def. Timo Stodder (UT) 2-6, 6-3, 6-1
2. Paul Jubb (SC) def. Preston Touliatos (UT) 7-5, 6-1
3. Adam Walton (UT) def. Yancy Dennis (SC) 7-5, 7-6 (7-4)*
4. Luis Valero (UT) def. Thomas Mayronne (SC) 6-4, 6-0
5. Harrison O’Keefe (SC) vs. Nicaise Muamba (UT) 6-2, 3-6, 3-2, unfinished
6. Scott Jones (UT) def. Wood Benton (SC) 6-4, 6-4
QUOTABLE
“We gave Tennessee a half-mile lead in a mile race, that’s what it was. By the end when we starting competing and we started getting into the match, we got Tennessee to the point where the match was going to break open and tumble our direction but we just ran out of match time.”-Head Coach Josh Goffi
GAMECOCK NOTABLES
- No. 66 Gabriel Friedrich extended his singles win streak to four straight, his second straight win over a ranked opponenet and third of the season.
- Paul Jubb picked up a second consecutive singles victory and has now won six of his last seven singles matches overall.
- The loss snaps a two-match win streak for the Gamecocks in their all-time series against Tennessee.
- South Carolina has now faced four teams that have been ranked in the ITA top-50 rankings during the 2018 season.
UP NEXT FOR THE GAMECOCKS
The Gamecocks will continue SEC play at home on Sunday afternoon, taking on another ranked opponent in No. 17 Georgia. South Carolina last defeated Georgia, 5-2 on the road in Athens, Ga. during its 2013 conference schedule.
For updates, continue to check back with GamecocksOnline.com or follow the team on social media (@GamecockMTennis).
