Sunday, 01/29/2012

LOS ANGELES – The Alabama men’s tennis team picked up its first win of the 2012 season with a 4-1 victory over UC Irvine on Sunday in the consolation match of the ITA Kick-Off Weekend. The Crimson Tide is now 1-2 on the season, while the Anteaters drop to 1-3 with the loss.

“It was a hard-fought match, and we did a better job of getting off to a good start in singles and doubles while sustaining that momentum,” said Alabama head coach Billy Pate. “Irvine is a good team, and this is a nice win.”

Alabama got wins at No. 1 and No. 2 doubles to earn the first point of the afternoon. On court two, junior Jarryd Botha and freshman David Vieyra posted an 8-4 victory over UC Irvine freshmen Jacob Jung and Shuhei Shibahara. The point would then be clinched on court one as seniors Ricky Doverspike and Michael Thompson cruised to an 8-2 victory over senior Fabian Matthews and sophomore Ryan Cheung.

In singles, Botha pushed the Tide’s lead out to two as he took down Matthews 6-4, 6-3 on court one. The Anteaters got on the board next with a win on court five behind a 6-3, 6-4 decision from senior Jon Kazarian. From there, Alabama would win two in a row to grab hold of the team victory as freshman Stuart Kenyon topped Shibahara 7-6(1), 6-3 on court six, while Doverspike provided the clincher with a 6-2, 4-6, 6-1 win over senior Sam Gould on court two.

Next up, Alabama hosts TCU on Sunday, February 5. First serve is slated for 11 a.m. CT.

“We’ve had a tough schedule early, and it will continue at home next weekend,” added Pate. “We look forward to getting back to work and continuing to improve.”

RESULTS
Doubles

1. Doverspike/Thompson (UA) def. Cheung/Matthews (UCI) 8-2
2. Botha/Vieyra (UA) def. Jung/Shibahara (UIC) 8-4
3. Reddy/Taborga (UA) vs. Gould/Kazarian (UCI) 5-4, unf.

Order of Finish: 2,1

Singles

1. Jarryd Botha (UA) def. Fabian Matthews (UCI) 6-4, 6-3
2. Ricky Doverspike (UA) def. Sam Gould (UCI) 6-2, 4-6, 6-1
3. No. 96 Vikram Reddy (UA) vs. Ryan Cheung (UCI) 7-6(5), 4-5, unf.
4. No. 91 Daniil Proskura (UA) vs. Jacob Jung (UCI) 6-3, 4-5, unf.
5. Jon Kazarian (UCI) def. Carlos Taborga (UA) 6-3, 6-4
6. Stuart Kenyon (UA) def. Shuhei Shibahara (UCI) 7-6(1), 6-3

Order of Finish: 1,5,6,2*

- UA -