Feb. 27, 2016
Knoxville, Tenn. – Christopher Eubanks, Carlos Benito and Michael Kay captured singles victories Saturday, lifting 57th-ranked Georgia Tech to its fourth consecutive victory with a 4-0 shutout of Tennessee at Barksdale Stadium.
The Yellow Jackets (7-3) finished preparing for Atlantic Coast Conference play next week by evening their record against the Southeastern Conference teams (2-2) on their early schedule and winning their first road match of the spring. The Volunteers fell to 5-4.
After winning the doubles point, Tech won the opening set in five of the six singles matches and was able to close out three three of them before the Vols could to turn the tide in the other three matches.
Sophomore Michael Kay (Alpharetta, Ga.) defeated Preston Tuliatos at the fifth position, 6-3, 7-6 (2) for the Jackets’ second point. At No. 2, junior Carlos Benito (Madrid, Spain) defeated Jack Schipanski, 7-5, 6-1, and sophomore Christopher Eubanks (Atlanta, Ga.), ranked 12th in the nation, toppled No. 125 Luis Valero, 6-3, 4-6, 6-0, at the top spot for the clinching point.
“Good win for the Jackets today,” said head coach Kenny Thorne. “Doubles was solid again today, and we jumped on them early in singles winning five of six first sets. Tennessee did a good job of fighting back in a few of the matches but we answered well. It is nice to play and fight well on the road. Now on to the ACC.”
Cole Fiegel (Alachua, Fla.) and Nathan Rakitt (Marietta, Ga.) won their opening sets at No. 4 and 6, respectively, though Tennessee was threatening to take those matches to third sets, while freshman Andrew Li (Hong Kong) was beginning a tiebreaker in his second set when the Eubanks secured the clinching point.
Eubanks improved to 7-1 in dual matches this spring, while Benito won his third straight and is 5-5.
Tech won the doubles point for the ninth time in 10 matches this spring. The Yellow Jackets have been able to win the last seven in a row without the benefit of a win from its top team of Casey and Michael Kay, who are ranked 41st in the nation. Rakitt and Li took a 6-2 win over Srdjan Jakovljevic and Timo Stodder at No. 3, improving to 6-1 this spring, while Eubanks and Benito secured the point with a 6-3 win over Jack Heslin and Touliatos. The Kays’ match went unfinished for the fifth time in that stretch.
The Yellow Jackets begin their ACC schedule next weekend with a road trip to North Carolina to face fifth-ranked Wake Forest and No. 54 Duke.
#57 Georgia Tech 4, #56 Tennessee 0
Feb 27, 2016 at Knoxville, Tenn. (Barksdale Stadium)
Singles competition
1. #12 Christopher Eubanks (GT) def. #125 Luis Valero (UT) 6-3, 4-6, 6-0
2. Carlos Benito (GT) def. Jack Schipanski (UT) 7-5, 6-1
3. Timo Stodder (UT) vs. Andrew Li (GT) 6-3, 6-6, unfinished
4. Srdjan Jakovljevic (UT) vs. Cole Fiegel (GT) 5-7, 5-4, unfinished
5. Michael Kay (GT) def. Preston Touliatos (UT) 6-3, 7-6 (7-2)
6. Jack Heslin (UT) vs. Nathan Rakitt (GT) 5-7, 5-4, unfinished
Doubles competition
1. #42 Luis Valero/Jack Schipanski (UT) vs. #41 Michael Kay/Casey Kay (GT) 3-4, unfinished
2. Carlos Benito/Christopher Eubanks (GT) def. Jack Heslin/Preston Touliatos (UT) 6-3
3. Nathan Rakitt/Andrew Li (GT) def. Srdjan Jakovljevic/Timo Stodder (UT) 6-2
Match Notes:
Georgia Tech 7-3; National ranking #57
Tennessee 5-4; National ranking #56
Order of finish: Doubles (3,2); Singles (5,2,1)
