DePaul University Athletics
Blue Demons Triumph Over Top Seed Louisville
4/18/2009 12:00:00 AM | MEN'S TENNIS
TAMPA, Fla. The DePaul men’s tennis team punched its ticket to a program-first BIG EAST Conference Championship match after upsetting No. 23 Louisville in the semifinals. The No. 5 seeded Blue Demons came back from a 3-1 deficit to knock off the top seeded Cardinals by a 4-3 decision.
Head coach Matt Brothers’ squad has made a habit out of defeating Louisville in the BIG EAST Championships. Last season, an unranked DePaul beat the No. 38-ranked Cardinals, 4-1, to claim third place.
“The team really deserved this win today,” said Coach Brothers after the match, “They played with tremendous heart and confidence. All of them (the returning student-athletes) still remember how rewarding it was to upset a strong Louisville team from a year ago, and walked on the courts today knowing they had what it takes to do it again this year.”
DePaul got off to a shaky start, losing the doubles point to fall behind early. Vanja Grgec was the first to put a point on the board for DePaul, taking out Robert Rotaru 6-1, 6-2, to even the score at one. Things began to look bleak for the Blue Demons after that, however, as the No. 31 singles-ranked Austen Childs defeated Austin Doerner, 6-3, 6-2, while Simon Childs triumphed over Alasdair Graetz by the same score to give Louisville a 3-1 lead.
Jose Moncada contributed a win from the No. 2 singles position, defeating No. 79 Viktor Maksimcuk in three sets. Moncada and Maksimcuk each took a set by a score of 6-3 before going game-for-game in the third. Deadlocked at six, the duo went to a tiebreaker where Moncada edged past Maksimcuk 7-5.
Meanwhile, Alejandro Calligari had just forced a third set with Ben Hartman in the No. 4 singles slot. Knowing his team needed the win to stay alive, Hartman battled through the 85-degree heat to put the third set away, 6-2.
“We knew coming into the tournament that the heat would be a factor. It can be a difficult transition from playing indoors most of the season to playing outdoors in weather like this,” noted Coach Brothers, “But we really trained hard to be as fit as possible, and I think it’s made all the difference today. “
With the score tied at three, the outcome rested heavily on the shoulders of Bartosz Jozwiak and Robert Hall. Jozwiak had taken the first set, 7-5, before Hall claimed a 6-4 victory in the second. Jozwiak, who won a must-win match yesterday in DePaul’s 4-3 win over Marquette, reclaimed dominance in the third stanza, winning 6-4 to give the Blue Demons a berth in the championships.
The Blue Demons (18-9, 2-0 BIG EAST) head into the championship match tomorrow, April 19, to take on No. 3 seed and host USF. The Bulls (13-8, 4-2 BIG EAST) took down the No. 2 seeded Notre Dame earlier today, 4-1. DePaul has also reached the championship match in the women’s tournament for the first time in school history. Coach Mark Ardizzone’s team is pitted against the No. 1 seeded Notre Dame. Both matches begin at 8 a.m. (CST)
Although live stats are unavailable, USF is hosting a live chat during tomorrow's match which can be accessed here.
No. 5 seed DePaul 4, No. 1 seed Louisville - 3
Doubles
1. #82 Viktor Maksimcuk/Simon Childs (Lou) def. Ben Hartman/Austin Doerner (DPU), 8-5*
2. Austen Childs/Sumit Gupta (Lou) vs. Alasdair Graetz/Jose Moncada (DPU), DNF (7-3)
3. Alejandro Calligari/Robert Hall (Lou) def. Bartosz Jozwiak/Matija Palinic (DPU), 8-3
Singles
1. #31 Austen Childs (Lou) def. Austin Doerner (DPU), 6-3, 6-2
2. Jose Moncada (DPU) def. #79 Viktor Maksimcuk (Lou), 3-6, 6-3, 7-6 (5)
3. Simon Childs (Lou) def. Alasdair Graetz (DPU), 6-3, 6-2
4. Ben Hartman (DPU) def. Alejandro Calligari (Lou), 6-4, 4-6, 6-2
5. Bartosz Jozwiak (DPU) def. Robert Hall (Lou), 7-5, 4-6, 6-4*
6. Vanja Grgec (DPU) def. Robert Rotaru (Lou), 6-1, 6-2
Order of finish: 6, 1, 3, 2, 4, 5*
*denotes clinching match
