Men's Tennis Opens NCAA Tournament vs. Tennessee
May 1, 2007
2007 NCAA Men’s Tennis Tournament Bracket
Coral Gables, Fla. – The No. 34 University of Miami men’s tennis team earned an at-large bid to the 2007 NCAA Tournament and will open the postseason versus No. 25 Tennessee on Friday, May 11, in Columbus, Ohio. It marks the second-straight season under third-year head coach Mario Rincon that the Hurricanes have advanced to the NCAA Tournament and the 42nd time in the last 49 years.
“Tennessee is a very well-coached team and among the best in the SEC,” said Rincon. “I think that if we get out to Columbus healthy and finish the work we’ve been doing, that we will have a really good chance against Tennessee and whomever else we might face.
“There is so much parity throughout the draw. Every match is going to be tough for every team.”
Miami will square off versus Tennessee at 4 p.m., following the NCAA Regional match between second-seeded host Ohio State (27-1) and 67th-ranked Columbia (16-4) at 1 p.m. The winning team from each match will meet on Saturday, May 12, in the NCAA’s second round at 1 p.m. The Hurricanes faced off versus the Buckeyes earlier this season in Coral Gables, with Ohio State claiming the 5-2 win.
The Hurricanes (11-13, 5-6 ACC) enter Friday’s match off April 20’s quarterfinal loss to eventual ACC champs Virginia in the ACC Tournament, while the Volunteers (16-7, 7-4 SEC) bowed out of the SEC quarterfinals on the same day with a 4-2 loss to No. 15 LSU. Miami leads the all-time series between the programs, 12-6, including a 7-0 sweep of the Vols in Coral Gables on March 20, 2006.
Ten of the ACC’s 12 men’s tennis squads advanced to the NCAA Tournament, including Duke, Florida State, North Carolina, Virginia and Wake Forest who will serve as first-round hosts.
Miami is led by a pair of ranked players in No. 9 senior Luigi D’Agord (Freeport, Bahamas) and No. 53 Daniel Vallverdu (Valencia, Venezuela), as well as the fifth-ranked doubles tandem of D’Agord and senior Josh Cohen (Weston, Fla./Laurel Springs).
D’Agord, who recorded back-to-back undefeated seasons in ACC play at the No. 1 position en route to two-straight ACC Player of the Year accolades, enters the postseason with a 24-4 overall record – including a 14-4 mark versus ranked opponents. Among D’Agord’s notable wins in 2007 is a pair of straight-sets decisions over Virginia’s second-ranked Somdev Devvarman (6-4, 7-6 on 4/6) and Wake Forest’s then-No. 6 Todd Paul (6-4, 7-6 on 4/13), as well as a 7-6, 3-6, 12-10 win over Ohio State’s Bryan Koniecko – a potential second-round opponent should the `Canes defeat the Vols.
Vallverdu, a 2007 All-ACC selection and the 2006 ACC Freshman of the Year, compiled 23-9 singles record despite sustaining a mid-season injury. Primarily playing at the No. 2 position, the sophomore went 5-3 against ranked opponents – including a 2-0 mark versus top-10 players. Vallverdu needed just straight sets to upend Oklahoma State’s Ivan Puchkarov (6-0, 6-3 on 2/17) and Ohio State’s Steven Moneke (6-3, 6-4 on 3/10).
Cohen, the winningest Hurricane ever with a combined 169 wins over his four-year Miami career, enters NCAA Tournament action with a school-record tying 81 doubles victories. Paired with D’Agord, the seniors have gone 20-6 this season, including a 5-3 record versus ranked opponents.
Tennessee – who has eight players that have compiled at least 20 individual wins – boasts three ranked singles players and a pair of ranked doubles teams. The Vols are led by 17th-ranked junior Kaden Hensel with a 27-10 overall record, including an 11-4 mark in the top-flight position. Playing primarily at the No. 2 spot, 46th-ranked junior Bobby Cameron enters the postseason with a 24-13 record, while No. 106 freshman Davey Sandgren is 28-15, including a 7-5 mark at No. 3. Cameron and Hensel team up to make the nation’s 17th-ranked duo with a 22-12 overall mark, including a 9-9 record versus ranked opponents. The Vols’ 29th-ranked pair of senior Ben Rogers and sophomore Adam Hubble is 22-8 for the year, including a 12-1 record at the No. 2 position and a 5-1 record versus ranked opponents.
Daily admission to the NCAA Regionals at the Stickney Tennis Center is $5 for adults, $3 for students and free for children under two years old. Advance tickets may be purchased by calling 1-800-GO-BUCKS.
