Tennessee tennis got back in the win column on Sunday afternoon, posting an upset win over Texas, 4-2. The No. 17 Vols (18-7, 9-5 SEC) took the Longhorns by surprise to start the day.
After losing its last three doubles points, Tennessee rebounded and got the match started with a bang. Although No. 3 Texas (22-4, 13-1) held a few players out before the SEC Tournament starts later this week, the Vols jumped out to an early lead.
The pair of seniors Shunsuke Mitsui and Alan Jesudason got out to a 3-0 lead over the Longhorns on Court 2. The pair looked phenomenal, getting the early lead, which led them to victory. Shockingly, that wasn’t even the Vols’ best doubles court of the day
The No. 8-ranked pair of Alex Kotzen and Alejandro Moreno didn’t have the same terrific start on Court 1, but they certainly finished better. After leading 2-1, the duo was relentless, ripping off four straight points to secure the first doubles court.
Mitsui and Jesudason were able to finish the job, slamming the door on the Longhorns’ late push that fell well short. They won 6-3, sealing the point for the Vols and giving them the early 1-0 edge.
“It’s very hard to play from behind when you lose doubles points,” head coach Chris Woodruff said after the match. “This group is so incredibly resilient. We’re just so resilient and just couldn’t be happier and now, like I told them, we got we got big visions and big goals ahead of us now.”
While Tennessee had a great day on Courts 1 and 2, the same couldn’t be said for Court 3. The new pairing of Jan Kobierski and Lance Nisbet was unable to contribute, falling behind early and finishing the match at a 5-2 deficit.
Despite the new pairing, Court 3 has been the biggest area of struggle for the Vols, leading to a consistent issue this season.
“I have no idea (who we’re going to play this weekend),” Woodruff said. “We’ve got until tomorrow to figure it out, but I couldn’t tell you right now.”
After claiming the doubles point, the Vols needed just three singles courts to win the match.
Court 4 was the first to go. Jose Garcia struggled heavily against his opponent, losing 6-2 and 6-1. He was unable to pick up any sort of momentum as Texas picked up its first point of the afternoon to tie the match at 1-1. Garica has struggled in the home stretch of the regular season, losing six of his last seven matches dating back to March 20.
Senior Ian Cruz then clinched Court 6 for the Vols. He defeated his opponent 6-3 and 6-2 to put Tennessee back in the lead, 2-1.
“I tell our guys that six is the most important position in college tennis,” Woodruff said. “He’s been he’s been incredible. I mean to come in from Belmont, he’s just a warrior. Just happy for him and he’s just been an incredible team guy.”
No. 25 Mitsui was the next to clinch. The senior won 6-1 and 7-5 over No. 49 Pierre-Yves Bailly on Court 2 to put Tennessee up 3-1. The win extended his singles win streak to seven, with Sunday being his 126th career singles win.
With three courts still in progress, the Vols just needed to win one more.
No. 33 Kotzen couldn’t finish the job for Tennessee on Court 1. The senior lost 4-6, 6-2 and 3-6 to the No. 2 player in the nation, Timo Legout. This gave Texas its second point of the afternoon, making it 3-2 with Courts 3 and 5 still up for grabs.
The finishing touch came from Jan Kobierski on Court 5, putting the match away in the third set. He won 6-2, 4-6 and 6-3 to end senior day on a high note.
“He pulled it out against Florida,” Woodruff said. “He’s another guy who’s a great success story. He’s hung in there and done everything that we’ve asked and that’s the thing. We got everybody on this team with the exception of people who are red-shirting or ineligible are able to step in, and we’ve used them every one of them.”
With the win, Tennessee concludes its regular season. The Vols will be back in action later this week at the SEC Tournament in Columbia, South Carolina.
