College Tennis News - Dawgs Win NCAA Opener; Anger Wins #300

MALIBU, Calif. - Head Coach Matt Anger picked up his 300th career win today, but all that the winningest coach in UW history is worried about now is 301. Washington opened the NCAA Championships today with a 4-1 victory over North Carolina State, with four singles wins in the middle of the lineup. The Huskies (17-8) will now face seventh-seeded Pepperdine tomorrow at 12 noon. The Waves beat Green Bay in the second match today.

At Pepperdine's Ralphs-Straus Tennis Center, Washington trailed 1-0 after doubles, but rallied to win four in a row in singles play. With North Carolina State leading at No. 1 singles, and the No. 6 singles match dead even, freshman Viktor Farkas put a stop to things as he completed a 7-6 (2), 6-2 win over Robbie Mudge at No. 5 singles for UW's fourth and final point.

Farkas was down 5-1 in the first set but rallied with four straight games to go to a tiebreak with Mudge, with the Bratislava, Slovakia native won, 7-2. Farkas kept up the run in the second set, pulling away for the clinching win. Junior Marton Bots had put the Huskies up 3-1 as he overtook Dominic Hodgson in three sets at No. 2 singles. Bots took the first set, 6-2, but Hodgson quickly responded with a 6-1 second set win. The Husky Hungarian then broke early in the third set and broke again up 5-3 for the win. At that point, Farkas had triple match point on his court, so UW closed out quickly.

Sophomore Max Manthou scored his first career NCAA singles win to get the Huskies on the board. The Tacoma, Wash. native was the first to finish, beating Austin Powell at No. 4 singles, 6-3, 6-2. Freshman Emmett Egger of Issaquah then put the Huskies ahead, 2-1, with a 7-5, 6-3 win over Julian Sullivan at third singles. Egger was down 3-5 in the first set but got on a roll to take the set and get the early lead in the second.

"It was a tough match as always," said Anger. "I'm certainly happy we played our style in singles and that we are moving on to the next round."

In unfinished matches, 23rd-ranked junior Kyle McMorrow, named to the All-Pac-12 First Team today, was behind in his No. 1 singles match against 34th-ranked Jaime Pulgar, 4-6, 2-4. Redshirt freshman Nicholas Kamisar had split sets with Rafael Paez at No. 6 singles, winning the first, 6-3, but losing the second, 1-6.

Doubles was a nailbiter, and UW nearly had a memorable comeback but the Wolfpack fought back. At No. 1 doubles, McMorrow and Bots were down 3-7 to Sullivan and Hodgson, but then broke the Wolfpack twice and got back even at 7-7. The teams held serve to get to a tiebreak, but NC State won the breaker, 7-4, to clinch the point. If the Huskies had won it, Manthou and freshman Jeff Hawke were up 7-6 at No. 3 doubles when things were halted. Egger and senior Matt Stith earlier lost an 8-3 decision to Pulgar and Mudge at No. 2 doubles.

Washington has gone 12-4 in the NCAA first round over the past 16 seasons. A win tomorrow would send the Huskies to the round of 16 for the sixth time in team history, all coming under Coach Anger.

Washington Men's Tennis
NCAA Championships - First Round
Ralphs-Straus Tennis Center - Malibu, Calif.
Hosted by Pepperdine
May 11, 2012

No. 28 Washington 4, No. 38 North Carolina State 1

Doubles
1) Sullivan/Hodgson (NCST) def. McMorrow/Bots (UW), 9-8 (4)
2) Pulgar/Mudge (NCST) def. Egger/Stith (UW), 8-3
3) Hawke/Manthou (UW) vs. Weber/Rollinson (NCST), 7-6, DNF
Order of finish: 2, 1

Singles
1) (23) Kyle McMorrow (UW) vs. (34) Jaime Pulgar (NCST), 4-6, 2-4, DNF
2) Marton Bots (UW) def. Dominic Hodgson (NCST), 6-2, 1-6, 6-3
3) Emmett Egger (UW) def. Julian Sullivan (NCST), 7-5, 6-3
4) Max Manthou (UW) def. Austin Powell (NST), 6-3, 6-2
5) Viktor Farkas (UW) def. Robbie Mudge (NCST), 7-6 (2), 6-2
6) Nicholas Kamisar (UW) vs. Rafael Paez (NCST), 6-3, 1-6, DNF
Order of finish: 4, 3, 2, 5