Men’s tennis on Vols: ‘And we don’t like them’

Daniel Shirey

Senior Josh Varela will play his final home match against Tennessee Saturday.

They thought they secured the victory, but instead they dropped it.

Luis Flores and Travis Helgeson were the final two Bulldogs on the tennis courts that April afternoon in Knoxville. The rest of the 2007-08 Georgia men’s tennis squad watched hopefully as their senior captains battled for the final points of their matches against the Tennessee Volunteers.

“Last year was a heartbreaker,” Nate Schnugg said. “We were up 3-2, and we basically thought it was guaranteed, that at least [Flores or Helgeson] were going to pull it out. The Tennessee guys played unbelievable, to their credit, but that is a match that neither Travis or Luis will ever lose again, but losing it hurt.”

Turn the pages of the calendar forward a year, and the scenario presents itself again. But this time the Vols are matched against a different Bulldog squad that is motivated by revenge.

Fuel has been added to the fire as this rivalry takes center court Saturday afternoon.

“They don’t like us, and we don’t like them,” said Jamie Hunt.

Added senior captain Josh Varela: “I’d say [Tennessee] is definitely in the top three as far as the biggest rivalries we have.”

But while the Bulldogs see this match as a chance to redeem themselves from last year’s loss, they also are aware of the bigger picture: the chance to clinch the SEC Eastern Division championship.

“This is big for seeding in the SEC tournament and the NCAA tournament,” Hunt said. “We’ve been looking at this match for a while, and we want it bad.”

Added Christian Vitulli: “It’s been a goal for us [to win] this match the whole year.”

Aiming to win their third consecutive national championship, the Bulldogs are striving to improve, and keep their mindset consistent, yet tough. Entering the last home match of the season against Tennessee, head coach Manuel Diaz advocates the Bulldogs keep their games at the same level of quality that has persisted throughout each match thus far in the season.

“I want them to approach this like they have approached every single match throughout the course of the season. I don’t want them to put any additional pressure on themselves,” Diaz said. “I hope they draw some confidence from [the Kentucky] match. I just want to see them go out there and just play their normal games.”

But the poignancy that underlies the competitive rivalry on the surface is the onset of Varela’s last home match at the Dan Magill Tennis Complex. The senior holds a 27-8 record on the season, and hopes to conclude his college career in Athens with a win.

“I’m definitely going to have some emotions, but I’ll be focused. I want to perform. I want to go out there and do my best still,” Varela said. “It’s going to be tough. It’s my last home match with these fans and stuff.”

Varela won’t be the only Bulldog playing with emotion Saturday, as each and every one of his teammates has a close bond with the senior.

They will be working that much harder to ensure that he walks off the court with a “W” on the board.

“I think it’s going to be emotional for everyone. I can’t imagine next year not having Josh warming up next to me,” Schnugg said. “As emotional as it is for him, we all understand that it’s going to be tough for us too.”