The University of Alabama at Birmingham Athletics
UAB
Alabama
Blazer Men's Tennis Team Falls To No. 19 Alabama
2/8/2009 12:00:00 AM | Men's Tennis
Feb. 8, 2009
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. ----- Playing its second top 30-ranked opponent in three days, the UAB men's tennis team fell to No. 19 Alabama Sunday, 7-0, as the Crimson Tide swept the Blazers in both singles and doubles.
The match was closer than the final score indicated, but No. 75-ranked UAB (1-2) failed to win a match in the competition between two ranked teams.
The Blazers went three sets with the Crimson Tide (5-1) at both No. 5 and 6 singles. Freshman Daniel Moser fell to Alabama senior Michael Jung, 6-4, 3-6, 1-0 at the No. 5 position. At No. 6, UAB's Tyrone Ewels lost in three sets to Houssam Yassine, 6-4, 2-6, 1-0.
Brian Ly also lost narrowly at the No. 1 position, falling to Alabama's Mathieu Thibaudeau, the nation's No. 69-ranked player, 7-5, 6-4.
It was at the No. 2, 3 and 4 positions that the Tide won handily. Saketh Myneni was a 6-0, 6-1 winner at No. 2 over UAB's Dennis Ehrlich. At No. 3, Michael Thompson downed the Blazers' Dan Cornei, 6-1, 6-3. Billy Mertz took a straight sets win at No. 4 singles over UAB's Thomas Petrich, 6-2, 6-2.
In doubles, the story was much the same. The Blazers played close in two of the three matches but couldn't come up with a victory. At No. 1 Thibaudeau and Dan Buikema downed UAB's Slawomir Szeremeta and Ehrlich, 8-6.
At the No. 2 position, Myneni and Mertz defeated the UAB 29th-ranked duo of Emery and Ly, 8-2. The Tide gained a sweep in doubles and the doubles point with its win at No. 3 as Ricky Doverspike and Thompson beat UAB's tandem of Cornei and Moser by an 8-5 score.
UAB will be back in action next Sunday, Feb. 15 when the Blazers travel to Starkville, Miss. to take on Mississippi State in their match in nine days against a nationally-ranked team.
No. 19 Alabama 7, No. 75 UAB 0
Doubles
No. 1 - Mathieu Thibaudeau/Dan Buikema (AL) def. Slawomir Szeremeta/Dennis Ehrlich (UAB) 8-6
No. 2 - Saketh Myneni/Billy Mertz (AL) def. Alex Emery/Brian Ly (UAB) 8-2
No. 3 - Ricky Doverspike/Michael Thompson (AL) def. Dan Cornei/Daniel Moser (UAB) 8-5
Singles
No. 1 - Thibaudeau (AL) def. Ly (UAB), 7-5, 6-4
No. 2 - Meneni (AL) def. Ehrlich (UAB), 6-0, 6-1
No. 3 - Thompson (AL) def. Cornei (UAB), 6-1, 6-3
No. 4 - Mertz (AL) def. Thomas Petrich (UAB) 6-2, 6-2
No. 5 - Michael Jung (AL) def. Moser (UAB), 6-4, 3-6, 1-0
No. 6 - Houssam Yassine (AL) def. Tyrone Ewels (UAB), 6-4, 2-6, 1-0
Records: No. 19 Alabama 5-1, No. 75 UAB 1-2
.png&width=84&height=84&quality=100&type=webp)
Players Mentioned
