DENVER -The tennis seasons for Western Athletic Conference members SMU and TCU came to a close on May 22 with losses to Georgia and Tennessee, respectively, in the semifinals of the NCAA Mens Tennis Team Championships in Athens, Ga.
The seventh-seeded Mustangs fell to third seed Georgia, 4-0, on the Bulldogs' home turf in the late match of the day. One of two Southeastern Conference teams in the semifinals, Georgias win avenged a 4-3 decision it dropped against SMU in the regional final in 2000.
For the third match in the last four, SMU lost the doubles point, allowing Georgia to build an early lead. The doubles point was clinched at the No. 2 slot where the team of Genius Chidzikwe and Ryan Mauck conceded their tenth match of the season. It marked only the fifth time this season that the Mustangs lost the doubles point.
Georgias Matias Boeker, ranked fifth, swept sixth-ranked Chidzikwe in straight sets, 6-1, 6-0, at No. 1 singles, while Mustang junior Lukasz Senczyszn fell victim to No. 50 Travis Parrott who won in straight sets at No. 5 singles. On the other courts, Jon Wallmark, Krystian Pfeiffer and Johan Brunstrom gave the SMU faithful hope by winning their first sets, but it was not to be as Georgias No. 47 Chad Carlson clinched the win with a 6-2, 6-2 win over Alexis Rudzinski at No. 4 singles. The three remaining matches were suspended.
The loss concluded a successful season for SMU in which it saw ITA champions crowned in both singles and doubles competition. Making its first final four appearance in 15 seasons, the Mustangs earned the second-best winning percentage in school history with 24-3 record (.889).
In the first match of the day No. 5 TCU couldn't get past No. 8 Tennessee, dropping a 4-0 decision remain winless in three trips to the semifinals. Despite a valiant effort by the Frogs in the doubles competition, Tennessee stole the point to establish a lead. Trace Fielding and Jimmy Haney, ranked 16th nationally, dropped Adam Carey and Mark Parsons, ranked 20th, 8-5, but the Vols stormed back to win 9-8 and 8-6 at the two and three positions, respectively.
Tennessee dominated the top singles positions, clinching the win at No. 3 as No. 25 Peter Handoyo topped TCU senior Scott Eddins, 6-3, 7-6. En route to the win, the Vols top two singles players, No. 31 Mark Parsons and No. 58 Mario Toledo, recorded straight-set upsets over No. 10 Esteban Carril and No. 43 Trace Fielding, respectively. The Frogs are now winless in five meetings with Tennessee and close out the 2001 season with a 24-4 record.
Individually for the WAC, six singles players and three doubles teams will compete at NCAAs. All-WAC selection Dane McGregor will represent Tulsa, while Chidzikwe, the WAC Player of the Year, will join SMU teammate Wallmark in the singles draw. TCUs top singles players, Carril and Fielding, were selected to play in the singles competition, as was Fresno States Peter Luczak, who jumped to third in the nation after upsetting both Chidzikwe and Carril at the WAC championship. In doubles action, the Bulldogs top duo of Luczak and David Mullins will join SMUs tandem of Brunstrom and Wallmark and TCUs Haney and Fielding. Competition commences on May 24, while seeding for singles and doubles will be announced May 23 from Athens, Ga.