Spring Break
Men's tennis on Vols: 'And we don't like them'
RACHEL BOWERS
Issue date: 4/17/09 Section: Sports
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Luis Flores and Travis Helgeson were the final two Bulldogs on the tennis courts that April afternoon in Knoxville. The rest of the 2007-08 Georgia men's tennis squad watched hopefully as their senior captains battled for the final points of their matches against the Tennessee Volunteers.
"Last year was a heartbreaker," Nate Schnugg said. "We were up 3-2, and we basically thought it was guaranteed, that at least [Flores or Helgeson] were going to pull it out. The Tennessee guys played unbelievable, to their credit, but that is a match that neither Travis or Luis will ever lose again, but losing it hurt."
Turn the pages of the calendar forward a year, and the scenario presents itself again. But this time the Vols are matched against a different Bulldog squad that is motivated by revenge.
Fuel has been added to the fire as this rivalry takes center court Saturday afternoon.
"They don't like us, and we don't like them," said Jamie Hunt.
Added senior captain Josh Varela: "I'd say [Tennessee] is definitely in the top three as far as the biggest rivalries we have."
But while the Bulldogs see this match as a chance to redeem themselves from last year's loss, they also are aware of the bigger picture: the chance to clinch the SEC Eastern Division championship.
"This is big for seeding in the SEC tournament and the NCAA tournament," Hunt said. "We've been looking at this match for a while, and we want it bad."
Added Christian Vitulli: "It's been a goal for us [to win] this match the whole year."
Aiming to win their third consecutive national championship, the Bulldogs are striving to improve, and keep their mindset consistent, yet tough. Entering the last home match of the season against Tennessee, head coach Manuel Diaz advocates the Bulldogs keep their games at the same level of quality that has persisted throughout each match thus far in the season.
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