URBANA, Ill. - Senior Chris Camillone and junior David Holiner continued to defy odds and expectations at the NCAA Doubles Championship on Saturday, teaming up to defeat their second top-10 opponent in two days to advance to the national semifinals.
The unseeded Camillone and Holiner defeated No. 5 seed Hernus Pieters and Ben Wagland of Georgia in a three-set tiebreaker (3-6, 6-4, 7-6[3]).
In the third set Texas faced match point, down 4-5 while serving, but held serve to tie the set 5-5. Both teams held serve during the entire third set, leading to a tiebreaker to decide a berth in the semifinals. The Longhorns swung the momentum in the tiebreaker with two early service breaks, which led to a 7-3 win.
"We managed serves well today, especially with no breaks in the third set," head coach Michael Center said. "We never lost our poise. That is the key in these types of tournaments - there are going to be some momentum swings and we just stayed tough. Georgia missed a couple balls and we took advantage of that, so we are still playing."
Camillone and Holiner advance to face No. 3 seed Jonas Lutjen and Nik Scholtz of Ole Miss on Sunday at 3 p.m. CT in the semifinals of the NCAA Doubles Championship.
The Texas natives become the first Longhorn duo to advance to the semifinals of the NCAA Doubles Championship since 1995, when Chad Clark and Trey Phillips finished as the national runner-up. Texas, seeking its sixth doubles national title, is 4-0 in four trips to the semifinals since 1975.
Sophomore>Søren Hess-Olesen concluded his postseason run in the quarterfinals of the NCAA Singles Championship after a loss to No. 3 seed Jarmere Jenkins of Virginia, 6-3, 6-2.
"Søren had a great tournament," Center said. "His opponent played well today - he didn't miss any balls and he is probably the fastest player I've seen on the court this year. Søren didn't play a bad match, but I give Jenkins a lot of credit. Søren played to win today but the other guy played just a little bit better."
Hess-Olesen ends the season as an ITA Singles All-American with a 21-11 overall record, including seven wins in his last eight singles matches.
NOTES
• Camillone and Holiner are the first Texas doubles team to reach the semifinals of the NCAA Doubles Championship since 1995, when Chad Clark and Trey Phillips finished as national the runner-up.
• Texas is 4-0 in four trips to the semifinals of the NCAA Doubles Championship (since 1975). The Longhorns are seeking their first NCAA Doubles title since 1944.
TEXAS IN THE NCAA DOUBLES SEMIFINAL (since 1975)
1995 - Chad Clark/Trey Phillips
1990 - Mitch Michulka/Michael Penman
1985 - Beckman/Deppe
1978 - Plock/Curren
TEXAS DOUBLES NATIONAL CHAMPIONS
1923: Lew White / Louis Thallheimer
1924: Lew White / Louis Thallheimer
1931: Bruce Barnes / Karl Kamrath
1943: John Hickman / Walter Driver
1944: John Hickman / Felix Kelley
