The Red and Black

Issue date: 4/27/09 Section: Sports

DIAZ

It was a rematch that proved to be nothing but disappointing.

For the second time in eight days, the Georgia men's tennis team faced rival Tennessee on Saturday. But the second time around was in a different setting with a different set of circumstances. And a 4-1 Tennessee victory left a bad taste in the mouths of the Bulldogs.

"[The guys] were very disappointed. They just knew that we could've done better," said head coach Manuel Diaz.

In the semifinals of the SEC Tournament, the No. 2 seeded Georgia squad failed to clinch the doubles point against the No. 3 seeded Volunteers, something the Bulldogs accomplished the first time these rivals met on April 18.

"I just think we could've played a little bit better at 1 and 2 doubles," said Diaz.

After starting out on the wrong foot, the Bulldogs came out flat as Tennessee's Christian Hansen quickly knocked off Drake Bernstein at No. 5 singles 6-3, 6-2, extending Tennessee's early lead to 2-0.

Senior Josh Varela was the only Bulldog to score as he notched a 6-4, 6-3 win over Tennessee's Davey Sandgren.

But soon after Varela's victory, a court 1 match up of two top 15 players came to a close, with Georgia's No. 11 Nate Schnugg, losing 6-4, 6-4 to eighth-ranked John-Patrick Smith.

Tennessee's Matt Brewer clinched the match for the Volunteers over Christian Vitulli in a three-set battle 2-6, 6-2, 6-3.

"[Tennessee] played a great match. We definitely could've played better at No. 1 and No. 5 singles," said Diaz.

"We just lost a close one at No. 6. Honestly, I think we can win that match most of the time, but [Saturday] Tennessee played well enough to win. They deserved to win."

But leaving the SEC Tournament without the crown doesn't mean the Bulldogs are done for the season.

The NCAA tournament commences May 8, giving the busy squad almost two weeks of rest and training time in order to prepare for what the next month has in store.

"We just need to reinvigorate. Go back to training, and get back to doing the kind of things that we did so well throughout the course of the year," said Diaz. "And that is just to stay loose and stay aggressive."

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