LEXINGTON, Ky. – The 11th-ranked and third-seeded Georgia men’s tennis team was upset by 37th-ranked Auburn, 4-3, in the quarterfinals of the SEC Tournament Friday at the Boone Tennis Complex in Lexington, Ky.

Georgia (17-7) fell for just the fourth time in 50 matches against the Tigers (11-11), who avenged a 6-1 loss to the Bulldogs on March 7. The match was moved indoors due to rain.

”We just didn’t get it done today,” said Georgia head coach Manuel Diaz. “I thought our top four guys put us within reach but we just couldn’t get that last one. It hurts, but we’ll just bounce back.”

Auburn secured the doubles point to take a 1-0 lead, winning first at No. 3 as Tim Hewitt and Lucas Lopasso beat Drake Bernstein and Will Oliver, 8-5. The Tigers then clinched the doubles point at No. 1 where the 13th-ranked tandem of Tim Puetz and Alex Stamchev topped Georgia’s 28th-ranked duo of Nate Schnugg and Javier Garrapiz, 8-5. The No. 2 matchup between the Bulldogs’ Jamie Hunt and Christian Vitulli and Auburn’s Andy Mies and Michel Monteiro was suspended in a 4-4 tie.

Georgia picked up the first two wins in singles at Nos. 2 and 3 to take a 2-1 lead. At No. 2, 81st-ranked Schnugg downed No. 97 Stamchev, 6-1, 7-5, and Hunt beat Hewitt, 6-3, 6-2, at No. 3.

The Tigers tied it at 2-2 as 20th-ranked Puetz rallied to beat 23rd-ranked Garrapiz, 3-6, 7-5, 6-3. Georgia then regained the lead 3-2 after Bernstein defeated Lupasso at No. 4, 6-1, 6-7(7), 6-1.

Auburn closed out the match with wins at Nos. 5 and 6 to move on to the semifinals. At No. 5, Oliver Stricker beat Vitulli, 6-1, 7-6(3), and Mies provided the clincher at No. 6 with a 6-2, 6-4 win over Will Reynolds.

Next up, the Bulldogs will play in the NCAA Regionals at a campus site to be announced. The NCAA Division I Tennis Championships Selection Show will air on ESPNEWS May 4. The winner of each regional will advance to the NCAA Championships May 20-31 in Athens.

#6 Auburn (ITA No.37) 4, #3 Georgia (ITA No. 11) 3
Doubles
1. No. 13 Tim Puetz/Alex Stamchev (AUB) def. No. 28 Nate Schnugg/Javier Garrapiz (UGA) 8-5
2. Andy Mies/Michel Monteiro (AUB) vs. Jamie Hunt/Christina Vitulli (UGA) 4-4, dnf
3. Tim Hewitt/Lucas Lopasso (AUB) def. Drake Bernstein/Will Oliver (UGA) 8-5

Singles
1. No. 20 Tim Puetz (AUB) def. No. 23 Javier Garrapiz (UGA) 3-6, 7-5, 6-3
2. No. 81 Nate Schnugg (UGA) def. No. 97 Alex Stamchev (AUB) 6-1, 7-5
3. Jamie Hunt (UGA) def. Tim Hewitt (AUB) 6-3, 6-2
4. Drake Bernstein (UGA) def. Lucas Lopasso (AUB) 6-1, 6-7 (7-9), 6-1
5. Oliver Strecker (AUB) def.  Christian Vitulli (UGA) 6-1, 7-6 (7-3)
6. Andy Mies (AUB) def.  Will Reynolds (UGA) 6-2, 6-4

Order of Finish: Doubles:   3, 1*   Singles: 2, 3, 1, 4, 5, 6*

Women’supset in SEC Quarterfinals

The No. 15 and fourth-seeded host Georgia women’s tennis team was upset by the No. 16 and fifth-seeded South Carolina Gamecocks by a score of 4-1 Friday afternoon in quarterfinal action of the 2010 SEC Women’s Tennis Championships at the Dan Magill Tennis Complex.

Georgia fails to defend its string of three consecutive SEC Tournament titles, dropping to 12-8 with the loss while South Carolina jumps to 16-7. Georgia had enjoyed a first-round bye into the quarterfinals while the Gamecocks advanced to today’s match with yesterday’s 4-0 win over Kentucky.

“It was a frustrating day,” said head coach Jeff Wallace. “I’m very disappointed that we went out essentially in the first round, albeit the quarterfinals. It really makes you appreciate how difficult it was to win three straight tournaments and this year we lose in the quarterfinals.”

“There was a time during the doubles where it looked like we were going to win at No. 1 in a tiebreaker and the No. 2 team was in good shape. But then credit South Carolina for taking the momentum. Their coach told me that is the best doubles they’ve played all year. It was good to see Chelsey [Gullickson] get a win over their top player at No. 1 singles and we were battling everywhere else but we came up short today.”

South Carolina started with a win in doubles, beginning with a win on court three where USC’s Adriana Pereira and Madeleine Saari-Bystrom defeated Georgia’s Naoko Ueshima and Lara Fakhoury, 8-3. The Gamecocks clinched the point at No. 1, where 18th-ranked Ana Marija Zubori and Dijana Stojic edged No. 6 Gullickson and Nadja Gilchrist in a tiebreaker, 9-8 (6). On two, Georgia’s 90th-ranked pair of Yvette Hyndman and Cameron Ellis was locked at seven all with South Carolina’s Miljana Jocic and Anya Morgina before the match was suspended.

The Gamecocks won two straight singles matches to increase their lead to 3-0. First off court was No. 108 Stojic on court two, where she upset No. 41 Gilchrist of the Bulldogs, 6-1, 6-3. The third USC point came from court five, where Pereira defeated Ellis, 7-6(8), 6-1.

Georgia rebounded with a victory on court one for its first point, as No. 13 Gullickson defeated No. 48 Zubori, 6-1, 6-7(8), 6-2 to cut it to 3-1 with three singles matches to go. Gullickson improved to 24-8 overall and 15-5 in dual match play in 2010.

The Gamecocks posted the clincher on court four, as Jocic edged out Ueshima, 7-6(5), 6-4 to capture the 4-1 win.

USC will advance to take on this morning’s winner, No. 1 seeded Florida, in the semifinals tomorrow at 10 a.m.

The Bulldogs entered the event with a total of six tournament victories in their history. Their overall record in the SEC Tournament is now 44-17.

Meanwhile, the Bulldogs will wait for the NCAA Regionals to be played on campus sites from May 14-16, the winners of which advance to the NCAA Championships. Georgia will host both the NCAA Men’s and Women’s Tennis Championships May 20-31 in Athens.

Tennis Match Results
South Carolina vs Georgia
Apr 23, 2010 at Athens, Ga.
(Dan Magill Tennis Complex)

#16 South Carolina 4, #15 Georgia 1

Singles competition
1. #13 Chelsey Gullickson (UGA) def. #48 Ana Marija Zubori (SC) 6-1, 6-7 (6-8), 6-2
2. #108 Dijana Stojic (SC) def. #41 Nadja Gilchrist (UGA) 6-1, 6-3
3. #125 Yvette Hyndman (UGA) vs. Anya Morgina (SC) 6-3, 4-6, 3-5, unfinished
4. Miljana Jocic (SC) def. Naoko Ueshima (UGA) 7-6 (7-5), 6-4
5. Adriana Pereira (SC) def. Cameron Ellis (UGA) 7-6 (10-8), 6-1
6. Lara Fakhoury (UGA) vs. Madel. Saari-Bystrom (SC) 6-4, 3-6, 1-5, unfinished

Doubles competition
1. #18 Ana Marija Zubori/Dijana Stojic (SC) def. #6 Chelsey Gullickson/Nadja Gilchrist (UGA) 9-8 (8-6)
2. #90 Yvette Hyndman/Cameron Ellis (UGA) vs. Miljana Jocic/Anya Morgina (SC) 7-7, unfinished
3. Adriana Pereira/Madel. Saari-Bystrom (SC) def. Naoko Ueshima/Lara Fakhoury (UGA) 8-3

Match Notes:
South Carolina 16-7; National ranking #16
Georgia 12-8; National ranking #15
Order of finish: Doubles (3,1); Singles (2,5,1,4)
Official: Carol Cox  T-3:50  A-157