What next?
That’s the question for Georgia tennis, which has both the 11th-ranked men’s team and third-ranked women’s team in the quarterfinals of the NCAA Championships in Lake Nona, Fla.
That Jeff Wallace’s Lady Dogs (24-1) have advanced this far is no surprise. Their only loss all season has been to No. 1-ranked and undefeated North Carolina, and then by a 4-3 score. It would’ve been a shock for them to NOT still be alive at this point.
Expectations were lower for Georgia’s 11th-ranked men. It has simply been “one of those years” for coach Manuel Diaz’s latest incarnation. Injury and illness had been with them every step of the way this season. But the clouds began to part toward the end of the year and, with yet another rousing win on Monday, anything seems possible now.
The Bulldogs (17-6) knocked off No. 6 North Carolina in a dramatic 4-3 victory that was clinched at No. 5 singles by Billy Rowe, 7-6 (8-6), 6-4 at the USTA National Campus. As a result, Georgia advances to the quarterfinals for the 32nd time in program history.
“Our team came to fight,” Diaz said afterward. “They knew it wasn’t going to be easy. North Carolina is a great team. We have great friends over there in the coaching staff. We knew North Carolina was going to come out and give us its best shot, and we have a lot of respect for their team. For us, it was a matter of coming out and being ready to be challenged at every spot.”
They were. And helping the Bulldogs through it all was Georgia’s women’s team.
Wrapping up their practice earlier in the day on some nearby courts, coach Jeff Wallace’s entire team gathered along the fence surrounding the court on which Rowe was battling and cheered him on. Rowe needed every ounce of energy he could muster against North Carolina’s Josh Peck, who had extended him to 14 points in the first-set tiebreaker.
When Rowe finally clinched — his fourth match-clincher against ranked opponents this season — his teammates poured onto his court and enveloped him in blob of unbridled celebration while the Lady Dogs whooped it up alongside. It was vivid illustration of the passion of collegiate team tennis.
“It was just about scrapping,” said Rowe, a graduate transfer from Vanderbilt. “I was playing with a ton of heart today, playing for the guys on the sidelines, the fans in the stadium. Every point was a battle and I just wanted to make one more point than him.”
Now it gets really interesting for the Georgia men. Next up is No. 3 Tennessee. The thought is that the Bulldogs will be decided underdogs. They lost to the Vols 4-2 in Athens in the SEC opener back on Feb. 19.
But not only was that a long time ago, UGA was without two key players for that match. No. 2 singles and No. 1 doubles player Tyler Zink was out for that match while battling COVID. Also, the Bulldogs lost Blake Croyder to a back strain after the doubles point, which Tennessee won.
Croyder, by the way, teamed up with Rowe for the win at No. 2 double on Monday, clinching the critical doubles point for the Bulldogs.
No, Georgia won’t be short-handed this time.
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