It started out shaky for Angel Diaz and the Vols.
Tennessee dropped the doubles point to Florida State, going down early. After two Vols dropped their singles matches, Tennessee was down, 3-1.
On Court 4, Diaz struggled out of the gate. He dropped the first set to Florida State’s Youcef Rihane in a tiebreak. Still, in a pressure situation, Diaz is reliable.
“Of all the people in college tennis, I would have him over any of them,” Tennessee head coach Chris Woodruff said. “He’s come through in so many matches in that situation. You know, you got to have a lot of faith in the guy.”
Woodruff’s faith paid off. Diaz took a 6-4 win in the second set to tie his match. At the same time, No. 1 Johannus Monday won his match, bringing the Vols within one.
Diaz started his third set well. He got an early break, going up, 4-2. When Filip Pieczonka tied the overall match with his three-set win on Court 3, the Vols looked to be in control.
A major hurdle for Pieczonka this season was his mental attitude. When he is able to think differently, he can control himself emotionally and find more success on the court.
“It’s just bigger because your mind thinks it’s bigger,” Woodruff said. “So then your heart starts to beat quicker. That’s really all that’s different. Don’t make it any bigger than it is.”
Then, it started to slip away. Rihane broke back, tying the final set at four games each. Diaz fought on, holding serve and giving himself an opportunity to break for the match.
Diaz couldn’t break, tying the third set again at 5-5. After winning another game, Diaz couldn’t break through, sending the deciding set for himself — and his team — to a tiebreak.
As Diaz stood in the only remaining match, he was watched by the rest of his teammates. The pressure of an Elite Eight appearance was all on his shoulders and depended on his performance in the final stages of his match.
Monday, who played singles with Diaz earlier in the overall match, knew of Diaz’s strength. He saw it every day in the gym and in practice. When all eyes were on Diaz, Monday had great confidence in his teammate.
“Out of all the guys, including myself, I want him out there,” Monday said. “I trust him so much. I was nervous, but I knew he was going to get the job done.”
Diaz won the first two points, going up a mini-break. Rihane broke back later in the tiebreak and was serving at a 5-5 deadlock.
Under pressure, Rihane made a mistake. He double faulted, giving Diaz the opportunity to serve for the win. Diaz took advantage, winning the match for himself and his team.
“I thought he did a wonderful job hanging in there, not giving up,” Woodruff said. “And then by the end he was being opportunistic. I thought that was critical.”
With the win, the Vols will head to Stillwater, Oklahoma, for the Elite Eight. Tennessee will take on No. 2 seed Texas in the round after advancing for the third time in four years.
None of it would have been possible without the performance from Diaz. He withstood the pressure with all eyes on him and sent the Vols to the Elite Eight.
“Had Angel have lost, I’d still be as proud of him because I knew he laid it all on the line,” Monday said. “That’s all I can ask as a teammate.”
