The Red and Black

Issue date: 4/6/09 Section: Sports

Media Credit: DANIEL SHIREY Drake Bernstein volleys in a doubles match in Georgia's 5-2 win over Auburn on Friday. [Click to enlarge]

Josh Varela was pumping his fist while his opponent, Alabama's Michael Thompson, was lying on his back at the other end of the court after diving and failing to return what would be a winner.

"I maybe went a little more crazy than I usually do, but I was so fired up, and I was playing so well, I just couldn't let up on the guy," Varela said. "I had to take him down as hard as I could."

Playing at the No. 4 singles spot for the Bulldogs, Varela took the first set 6-4 before tripping up in the second set, and getting down three games to none in Georgia's 4-2 win over the No. 15 Crimson Tide.

But the senior captain leaned on his infamous intensity in order to refocus himself. Several cross-court backhand winners, a few fist pumps and six games later, Varela had defeated his freshman opponent.

"I just told myself, I got to calm down a bit but stay fired up and go after my shots a little bit more, play a little bit smarter, and I did that," Varela said. "I can't lose to freshmen. I'm too old to lose to freshmen."

But while Varela was victorious, courts 1 and 2 weren't so lucky. Nate Schnugg and Javier Garrapiz lost their matches, so it was up to Drake Bernstein to step up on court 5.

"I kind of knew that it was going to come down to [my match]. I tried to play every point aggressive, instead of being too passive," Bernstein said.

As associate head coach Will Glenn put it, "If you can let Drake be Drake, he's going to be successful."

Bernstein clinched the match for the Bulldogs, making it his second of the season.

"It's good to clinch it. It's only, I guess, my third one ever," Bernstein said. "Each one means a lot to me. Beating Florida and Alabama, two of the top teams in the SEC, that means a lot."

On Friday, Georgia defeated Auburn 5-2 with Garrapiz providing the clinching win.

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