Tennessee tennis defeated Ole Miss at home, winning, 7-0.

The No. 21 Vols (12-5, 3-3 SEC) have responded well since starting the season 0-3 in conference play, winning their last three matches to break even. No. 41 Ole Miss (11-5, 2-4) wasn’t an easy opponent, but the Vols made quick work of them for the win.

Here’s how the Vols beat Ole Miss.

Heart-stopping doubles point

While Tennessee’s top two courts are seemingly set for the season, it is still searching for a consistent pair on Court 3. The Vols elected to go with the duo of Jose Garcia and Jan Kobierski, which was ineffective against Ole Miss.

Court 2 was the first one finished and by far the best of the day for Tennessee. The duo of Shunsuke Mitsui and Alan Jesudason have looked great this season, and they continued that notion Thursday. They won the first point of the day for Tennessee, securing a 6-3 victory to give the Vols an edge in the doubles point.  

The next to go was Court 3, and it went Ole Miss’ way. Garcia and Kobierski were tasked with a comeback after falling behind 4-1 early. Despite the score, they began working their way back into the match. The turning point came in the seventh set, with Ole Miss leading 4-2 and the score sitting at 40-all. Tennessee was unable to collect the point, putting it at a 5-2 deficit which essentially sealed the match. The Tennessee pair squeaked out one more point, but the final score remained 6-3.

Easily the most exciting court of the day, and perhaps of the season, was Court 1. 

The point rested on Alex Kotzen and Alejandro Moreno’s shoulders. After a 4-1 deficit, it looked to be over for Tennessee. However, the Vols won three consecutive games, evening the match 4-4. The battle continued into the tiebreak, with the score sitting at 6-6. Ole Miss had the early lead, but the Vols took over, closing out the win and securing the doubles point.

Singles seals the victory

Jesudason was the first to claim a court for Tennessee. He defeated his opponent, 6-0, 6-2 for the fastest match of the evening. 

After Tennessee took a 2-0 lead, neither team could buy another point.

After a 35-minute wait, the Vols struck again. This time it was Garcia, who took a 7-6, 6-2 win on Court 3. His win put the Vols right on the brink of a win, sitting at a 3-0 lead.

Ian Cruz sealed the victory for Tennessee, defeating his opponent 6-1, 6-7, 6-0. After a hard-fought second set that went to 11 points in the tiebreak, he was dominant in the third set to slam the door on the Rebels. 

Although Tennessee had already clinched, the teams decided to play on.

Not much happened after, but Tennessee continued its domination. Moreno won 4-6, 6-2, 7-5. Kotzen won as well, posting a 7-6, 4-6, 6-4 victory. Mitsui completed the sweep, winning 4-6, 6-4, 7-6.

“A 7-0 win in the SEC is very rare and tough to come by,” associate head coach Matt Lucas said. “I was proud of all the three-set matches that we won. It was a lot of resiliency and toughness and grit. I don’t know if we played particularly well on some of those courts but at the end of the day you’re not going to play well every match.”

Confusing match on Court 6

Court 6 featured one of the most bizarre points of the season. Ian Cruz won his first set 6-1 and looked to win in a sweep. 

His next set created confusion.

After being tied 6-6, the match headed into a tiebreak. There, he battled but neither team could pull away. With the score tied at 11, the extraordinary happened. 

“There was a miscommunication,” assistant coach Jaime Barajas said. “The ref made an overrule on his original call. He got overruled, so it was a point penalty, and they ended up giving the set to the opponent.”

The point was given to the Rebels, securing a two point lead to claim the set in the tiebreak, forcing a third set for Cruz.

Up next

Tennessee will take on LSU at home Saturday. The Vols will look to extend their win streak before they hit the road next week.