University of Illinois
Florida
Gators Deal Illini Tough Loss in Florida
February 24, 2008 | Men's Tennis
Feb. 24, 2008
GAINESVILLE, Fla. - The No. 9 Illinois men's tennis team was handed a tough 6-1 loss at the hands of No. 14 Florida in Gainesville, Fla., at the Ring Tennis Center this afternoon. Illinois (5-4) suffered from a slow start in doubles and was never able to recover against Florida (5-2), who never looked back after taking a 3-0 lead with two early singles victories. Sophomore and No. 30-ranekd Billy Heiser was the lone win for Illinois in singles, as he battled through a three-set affair over Jeff Dadamo (FLA), 6-4, 6-7(3), 6-1.
"A factor today that really hurt us was our play in doubles," head coach Brad Dancer said after the loss. "That is going to be something that we will have to continue to address as we go on from here. Florida is a good team and hats off to them because they were the better team out there today. Another factor is that I thought our freshmen, Waylon and Abe, struggled and were not able to sink their teeth into their matches. Florida is a good team and played well in singles to get the win. From here, we have to keep improving and now just get ready for Michigan State next Friday."
Florida gained the early advantage after sealing the doubles point with victories at No. 3 and 1 doubles, in order, to kickoff the dual. With the doubles point already decided, the senior duo of tied for 27th-ranked Brandon Davis and Ruben Gonzales (ILL) notched their abbreviated match win at No. 2 doubles, taking down Tyler Hochwalt and Johnny Hamui (FLA), 8-7(5).
However, things would not get any better for Illinois as Florida put the Illini on the ropes, wining at both No. 5 and 6 singles to take a quick 3-0 advantage. Heiser (ILL) looked to begin the Illini comeback as he was the third match to finish on the afternoon at No. 4 singles.
Illinois showed signs of life at No. 1 and 2 singles, as they secured first-set wins on both courts, while junior Marc Spicijaric (ILL) pulled out a close second set in the tiebreak on court three to even his match as well against No. 58-ranked Alex Lacroix (FLA) . Yet, the home Gators had the home crowd and courts going their way, as No. 6-ranked Greg Ouellette (FLA) came back to win at No. 1 singles over No. 13-ranked Ryan Rowe (ILL), 4-6, 6-3, 7-5 to clinch the match victory for UF.
To wrap up the rest of the matches, Gonzales (ILL) dropped a close three-setter on court two, while Spicijaric's (ILL) comeback on court three fell short in the end to give Florida the final 6-1 match victory.
Illinois returns home for its first two-match weekend home stand of the season, opening Big Ten play on Friday, Feb. 29, against Michigan State, followed by a non-conference showdown with perennial powerhouse No. 12 Notre Dame on Saturday, Match 1. Both matches are slated for 6 p.m. starts at the Atkins Tennis Center in Urbana, Ill.
Live scoring is offered for all of Illinois' home matches, while a full recap of the duals will be available at the conclusion of the contests that day. Both features can be found at the official web site of Illinois men's tennis, www.fightingillini.com, by clicking on the men's tennis home
#14 UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA 6, #9 UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS 1
2/24/2008 AT GAINESVILLE, FLA. (RING TENNIS CENTER)
1. #6 Greg Ouellette (FLA) #13 Ryan Rowe (ILL) - 4-6, 6-3, 7-5
2. Nestor Briceno (FLA) def. #77 Ruben Gonzales (ILL) - 3-6, 7-5, 7-6(6)
4. #58 Alex Lacroix (FLA) def. Marc Spicijaric (ILL) - 6-2, 6-7(4), 6-2
3. #30 Billy Heiser (ILL) def. Jeff Dadamo (FLA) - 6-4, 6-7(3), 6-1
5. Tyler Hochwalt (FLA) def. Waylon Chin (ILL) - 6-2, 6-3
6. Johnny Hamui (FLA) def. Abe Souza (ILL) - 6-1, 6-4
Doubles competition
1. Greg Ouellette / Jeff Dadamo (FLA) def. #20 Ryan Rowe / Billy Heiser (ILL) - 8-3
2. #T27 Brandon Davis / Ruben Gonzales (ILL) def. Tyler Hochwalt / Johnny Hamui (FLA) - 8-7(5)
3. Nestor Briceno / Alex Lacroix (FLA) def. Waylon Chin / Marc Spicijaric (ILL) - 8-4
Match Notes
University of Illinois (5-4), National Rankings - 9
LSU (5-2), National Ranking - 14
Order of finish: Doubles (3, 1, 2); Singles (5, 6, 4, 1, 3, 2)
