Monday, 11/02/2009

Crimson Tide earns a total of five wins on the day to close out fall schedule

 

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – The Alabama men’s tennis team finished its play at the 2009 Crimson Tide Fall Championships on Sunday by picking up five more wins, three of which came in the championship match of one of the tournaments’ seven draws. The Crimson Tide won three singles matches and two doubles matches on the day.

 

“We finished the tournament on a positive note, and overall I was pleased with the effort and results from this weekend,” said head coach Billy Pate. It’s critical for us to work exceptionally hard with fitness and any technical needs as we enter the next two months without competition. This time will also be valuable for our injured guys to get healthy and be ready to go when the new semester begins in early January.”

 

In the consolation finals of the Bryant draw, sophomore Ricky Doverspike dropped a three set match to junior Leon Nasemann of Memphis 4-6, 6-2, 6-0. Doverspike took the first set, but Nasemann quickly turned the match by getting up an early break in the second and grasped control of the match. Fellow Tide sophomore Michael Davis also fell in his singles match, which was for the championship in the Namath bracket. Davis lost in straight sets to Vanderbilt’s junior Alex Zotov 6-0 6-3 despite taking a 3-0 lead in the second set after failing to win a game in the first.

 

Another sophomore, Michael Thompson, was able to win the championship match in the Stabler draw, battling to defeat freshman Adam Berstein of Tulane in three sets 4-6, 7-5, 6-1. Yet another Alabama sophomore, Creighton Blanchard, also needed three sets to take the finals of the Musso bracket. He split the first two sets with junior Mario Gutierrez of Tennessee Tech 6-4, 4-6. Blanchard was able to earn an early break in the third and take the set 6-3. Freshman Harris Barnard was also competing in the Musso draw, and he was able to claim a 6-3, 6-3 victory over junior Andy Pulido of Vanderbilt for third place.

 

In doubles action, Doverspike and Thompson teamed up to take on the Tennessee duo of senior Davey Sandgren and junior J.P. Smith in the Crimson draw, with the Volunteer tandem claiming an 8-6 victory. Tide pair Blanchard and Davis kept up their stellar play in the White draw. They easily handled freshman Coby Kramer-Golinkoff and Bernstein of Tulane 8-3, then were able to hold off Radford’s freshman Brett Cromwell and sophomore Igor Ogrizek 9-7 in the championship match.

 

This was the final fall tournament for Alabama. The Tide opens spring play on Jan. 8 at the UNLV Invitational in Las Vegas, Nev.

 

RESULTS

Doubles

Sandgren/Smith (UT) def. Doverspike/Thompson (UA) 8-6

Blanchard/Davis (UA) def. Kramer-Golinkoff/Bernstein (TUL) 8-2

Blanchard/Davis (UA) def. Cromwell/Ogrized (RAD) 9-7

 

Singles

Leon Nasemann (MEM) def. Ricky Doverspike (UA) 4-6, 6-2, 6-0

Alex Zotov (VU) def. Michael Davis (UA) 6-0, 6-3

Michael Thompson (UA) def. Adam Bernstein (TUL) 4-6, 7-5, 6-1

Creighton Blanchard (UA) def. Mario Gutierrez (TTU) 6-4, 4-6, 6-3

Harris Barnard (UA) def. Andy Pulido (VU) 6-3, 6-3

 

--UA--