Nov. 6, 2011
Box Score
Complete Results
FLUSHING, N.Y. - Senior Dennis Nevolo ended his stellar run at the USTA/ITA National Indoor Intercollegiate Championships with a runner-up finish Sunday afternoon, falling to top-seeded Mitchell Frank of Virginia at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center. The Gurnee, Ill., native put up a strong fight but came up just short in a 6-3, 2-6, 7-5 thriller to end the fall season.
"I'm tremendously proud of Dennis, the path that he's on right now and the growth that he's showing," Illini head coach Brad Dancer said. "He showed tremendous resiliency and toughness throughout the event. He showed an aggressive mindset and willingness to go out and attempt to win the match. He had 65 net approaches today, and that tells me that he was really in the right mindset of what he wanted to do. I'm really pleased with him. I think the tournament was a huge success for him overall."
Despite a dominating 6-2 second-set victory, the 2011 All-American could not finish off Frank in the third set. With the loss, Nevolo, who was seeded eighth in the tournament and ranked seventh nationally, ends the fall season with a team-leading overall record of 11-2 in singles play with his only two losses coming to Frank in national tournaments. The Nevolo-Frank clash served as a rematch of the 2011 ITA All-American Championships, where the eventual champion handed Nevolo his only other loss of the fall season.
"It was a tremendous match by Mitchell Frank as he continues to befuddle opponents out there," Dancer said. "His tenacity and willingness to extend points is really admirable. Down the stretch, Mitchell played fantastic tennis to get himself out of trouble and finish the match. Mitchell Frank deserved that title today."
Nevolo knocked off four nationally ranked opponents to advance to Sunday's final, including wins over No. 3 Eric Quigley (Kentucky) and No. 9 Jose Hernandez (North Carolina). Nevolo's second-place finish marks his first time playing in a national collegiate tournament finale and the first time an Illini has advanced to the title match at this tournament since former Illini Ryan Rowe finished runner-up in 2007.
The tournament marks the end of the fall collegiate season. Individual Illini will be back in action at the USTA JSM Challenger, Nov. 12-19 at the Atkins Tennis Center in Urbana, Ill. The entire team will kick off its dual season in January.
USTA/ITA National Indoor Championships - Illini Results
Final
Mitchell Frank (Virginia) def. #7 Dennis Nevolo (Illinois), 6-3, 2-6, 7-5
