The University of Texas at Austin Athletics
University of Texas
Georgia
No. 7 Men's Tennis falls to No. 4 Georgia in NCAA title match, 4-2
05.21.2008 | Men's Tennis
Georgia (27-3) wins its second straight NCAA team title, as the Longhorns finish the 2007-08 season -- arguably the finest in school history -- as the NCAA runner-up with a 25-6 record. Texas swept all three spots on the NCAA All-Tournament doubles teams, as the Longhorn duos of freshmen Ed Corrie and Kellen Damico, senior Luis Diaz Barriga and Reyes Varela, and sophomores Dimitar Kutrovsky and Josh Zavala took all-tournament honors. Reyes Varela also made the NCAA All-Tournament Team at No. 6 singles.
Texas opened the match with a win at third doubles, as Kutrovsky and Zavala dealt Travis Helgeson and Christian Vitulli an 8-3 defeat. Diaz Barriga and Reyes Varela finished off the doubles session with an 8-6 win at second doubles over Luis Flores and Javier Garrapiz, as Texas assumed a 1-0 lead by taking its sixth doubles point in as many matches at the NCAA Championship.
Reyes Varela was broken early at sixth singles by Vitulli before pulling even at three-all in the first set. Trailing 4-3, Reyes Varela took the next three games to finish off the first set, 6-4. Reyes Varela took a 3-0 lead on his way to a 6-3 second-set win to close out the match and give Texas a 2-0 lead.
However, Georgia rallied gradually on its way to victories in the next four matches to close out the title victory. UGA sophomore Nate Schnugg topped UT's Damico at second singles, 6-4, 6-2, and sophomore Jamie Hunt outlasted Texas' Diaz Barriga, 6-1, 6-4, at the fourth slot to even the tally at two. Texas' Corrie rallied from one set down to take the second set over Georgia's Flores at third singles, 6-1, but Flores returned the favor in the third set, winning 6-1 to give the Bulldogs a 3-2 lead.
Texas' Kutrovsky took the first set off of UGA's Helgeson at first singles, 6-4, but Helgeson took the second set, 6-2, to force the decisive third set. Kutrovsky took a 3-2 lead in the final set, but Helgeson seized control and took the last four games to clinch the match and seal the title victory for Georgia.
NCAA Men's Tennis Championship - Finals
Michael D. Case Tennis Center - Tulsa, Okla.
No. 4 Georgia 4, No. 7 Texas 2
Doubles - Order of Finish: 3, 2
1. Corrie/Damico (UT) vs. Hunt/Schnugg (UGA) - DNF
2. Diaz Barriga/Reyes Varela (UT) def. Flores/Garrapiz (UGA) - 8-6
3. Kutrovsky/Zavala (UT) def. Helgeson/Vitulli (UGA) - 8-3
Singles - Order of Finish: 6, 2, 4, 3, 1
1. Travis Helgeson (UGA) def. Dimitar Kutrovsky (UT) - 4-6, 6-2, 6-3
2. Nate Schnugg (UGA) def. Kellen Damico (UT) - 6-4, 6-2
3. Luis Flores (UGA) def. Ed Corrie (UT) - 6-3, 1-6, 6-1
4. Jamie Hunt (UGA) def. Luis Diaz Barriga (UT) - 6-1, 6-4
5. Milan Mihailovic (UT) vs. Javier Garrapiz (UGA) - 6-4, 2-6, 2-2, susp.
6. Miguel Reyes Varela (UT) def. Christian Vitulli (UGA) - 6-4, 6-3
POST-MATCH NOTES
- Texas falls to 34-26 all-time at the NCAA Championship after reaching the NCAA finals for the first time in school history.
- With its doubles win over Georgia, Texas finished the season by winning 27 of 30 doubles points contested (a doubles session was not played in Texas' loss to Baylor at the Big 12 Championship)
- The Longhorns fell to 24-3 in matches where they have secured the doubles point (losses at Virginia and Texas Tech, vs. Georgia in NCAA finals).
- Senior Milan Mihailovic finished his UT career tied for eighth on UT's all-time singles wins list with 94 victories.
- UT senior Luis Diaz Barriga finishes his career ranked 18th on UT's all-time wins list with 84 singles victories; he finished the 2008 season with a 31-6 record and a 21-3 mark at No. 4 singles.
POST-MATCH QUOTES
HEAD COACH Michael Center
On the match: We fought from the first point of this tournament to the last point in this tournament. I thought we played pretty well. We had some opportunities tonight, but I've got to give Georgia credit, they just made more plays down the stretch. We lost to a great team, nothing to hang our head over. Disappointed, I thought we had a chance, but I've got to give Georgia the credit.
On the match ending the way it did: I wasn't over there with Ed Corrie, he came back and won the second set. He got down early in the third. I knew that Milan [Mihailovic] was battling over there at number five. We had a break actually twice at number one, but I sensed that Dimi [Dimitar Kutrovsky] was playing a little tentative. I wanted him to try to be more aggressive. Travis [Helgeson] started to get control of the match with his forehand and got a lot of balls up high, and Dimi wasn't able to attack him as effectively. The ball starts to slow down a bit too as the set progresses, which I think favored Travis. I could sense that that was starting to slip away a little bit. I was trying to get him fired up and get him to the net a little bit more and take a few more chances, but it just didn't happen tonight. But, how can I fault that kid, he has been unbelievable for us this year, he has fought so hard. He's an amazing kid and he just got beat tonight.
