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National Honors

National Honors

2006 Men’s National Honors

Rodney Harmon Mike DePalmer Peter Handoyo Sr. & Andy Crews w1980 NCAA doubles champion w1990 ITCA Coach of w2000 NCAA all-tour- the Year nament team (No. 3 doubles) w1995 Men’s Collegiate Tennis Hall of Fame

Mel Purcell Adam Carey & Mark Parsons w1980 NCAA doubles w1992 Volvo Tennis champion Rookie of the Year w2001 NCAA all-tournament team w1980 Rolex National w1993 USTA (No. 2 doubles) Intercollegiate singles Sportsmanship Award champion w1999 Men’s w1993 NCAA singles Collegiate Tennis Hall champion of Fame

Paul Annacone Chris Mahony Michael Fancutt & Pablo Montana w1984 Rolex National w2001 Professional Indoor singles champi- w1996 Rolex National Tennis Registry coach on Indoor doubles cham- of the year w1984 ITCA Player of pions the Year w2002 Men’s Collegiate Tennis Hall of Fame

Intercollegiate Tennis Association Shelby Cannon Peter Handoyo Men’s Collegiate Tennis Hall of Fame

The ITA Men’s Collegiate Tennis Hall of Fame is housed w1986 Volvo Tennis w1999 ITA rookie of at the University of Georgia’s Henry Feild Stadium in Collegiate doubles the year Athens, Ga. Former Georgia coach Dan Magill serves champion as curator and chairman of the hall. w2002 John Van Players are eligible for election to the Hall of Fame 15 w1987 ITCA Player to Nostrand Award years after their last collegiate match, and coaches are eligi- Watch ble one year following retirement. The main criteria for elec- tion are college accomplishments as well as honors earned after college. Contributors to the college game are also con- sidered for induction. Listed below are Tennessee’s inductees:

Year Inductee (Classification) 1993 Thomas G. Bartlett (Player) 1995 Michael DePalmer Sr. (Coach) Byron Talbot Mark Fitzpatrick 1999 Mel R. Purcell (Player) 2002 Paul Annacone (Player) w1986 Volvo Tennis w2000 NCAA all-tour- Collegiate doubles nament team Tennessee’s first inductee champion (No. 6 singles) into the ITA Hall of Fame, Thomas G. Bartlett, was inducted as a player in 1993. w 1987 Rafeal Osuna Bartlett lettered for the Vols Sportsmanship Award from 1950-52 and is believed to have never lost a match during that span (official records are incomplete).

37 2006 Volunteers Tennis All-Americas University of Tennessee

Lenny Schloss - 1967 Shelby Cannon - 1986-88 Mark Parsons - 1999 Tennessee’s first tennis All-America, Cannon won three SEC doubles titles Parsons was ranked as high as No. 23 Schloss teamed with different part- and an SEC team title in 1986. He and in the nation in 1999. His 31 singles ners to win the SEC doubles crown in partner Byron Talbot comprise wins earned him a spot in the NCAA 1966 and 1967. He also helped guide Tennessee’s all-time winningest dou- men’s singles championships, where the Vols to an SEC team title in 1966. bles tandem. he reached the round of 16

Tommy Mozur - 1968, 70 Byron Talbot - 1986-88 Peter Handoyo - 1999, 2001-02 Mozur attained a national singles Talbot teamed with Shelby Cannon to Handoyo was simply dominant during ranking of No. 15 in 1968, the highest capture the 1986 Volvo Tennis his time on Rocky Top. He had a hand ranking ever held by a Volunteer to Collegiate doubles championship and in four SEC titles (one singles, two that point. As a senior in 1970, Mozur two SEC No. 1 doubles crowns in doubles and one team) and racked up captained the Vols to an SEC crown. 1986 and 1987. 145 career singles wins.

Michael Fancutt - 1979 - 1990 .Mario Toledo - 2002 A fab-freshman in 1979, Fancutt com- Flach garnered All-SEC honors in Toledo ended the 2002 season ranked piled a 12-7 dual-match record at No. both singles and doubles while leading No. 20 in the ITA singles poll. He was 4 and won conference titles in both the Vol netters to an SEC regular-sea- runner-up at the Region III singles singles and doubles. He also reached son championship in 1990. championships, garnered All-SEC hon- the NCAA doubles final. ors and led the Vols with 33 singles wins.

Andy Kohlberg - 1979 Tim Jessup - 1990-91 Simon Rea - 2004 Kohlberg stood atop the collegiate sin- Jessup became Tennessee’s first SEC At the conclusion of the 2004 gles poll in 1979. He defeated the indoor singles champion when he won season, Rea was listed at No. 37 and eventual NCAA singles champion the title in 1991. He also garnered All- No. 10 in the ITA’s national singles and twice during the season and led the SEC honors for his outstanding dou- doubles polls, respectively. The senior Vols with a 15-4 singles record. bles play in 1990. also earned All-SEC first-team honors.

Rodney Harmon - 1980 Brice Karsh - 1990-91 Damien Spizzo - 2004 In 1980, Harmon captured the SEC A two-time All-America, Karsh Spizzo led the Vols with a .792 (19-5) No. 2 singles crown, teamed with Mel advanced to the round of 16 in the 1990 doubles winning percentage in 2004. Purcell to win the NCAA doubles title NCAA men’s singles championships. He teamed with partner Simon Rea to and reached the semifinals of the In 1991, he was ranked as high as No. go 12-5 in the spring, including an 8-2 NCAA singles championships. 6 in the collegiate singles poll. mark vs. ranked opponents.

Mel Purcell - 1980 Chris Woodruff - 1992-93 Ockie Oosthuizen - 2005 The top player on the Vols’ 1980 SEC In 1993, Woodruff became the first Vol Oosthuizen led the Vols with a .707 title team, Purcell won the SEC No. 1 to win the NCAA singles champi- (29-12) doubes winning percentage in singles crown and also won the NCAA onship. He was the 1993 SEC indoor 2005. He played all his doubles doubles championship with partner singles champion and was named the matches with Ben Rogers. The tandem Rodney Harmon. 1992 Volvo Tennis rookie of the year. went 14-8 against ranked opponents.

Mike DePalmer Jr. - 1981-82 Chris Haggard - 1993 Ben Rogers - 2005 DePalmer Jr. excelled for Tennessee in Haggard was named All-America and Rogers went 29-15 in doubles in 2005. the early 1980s, reaching the NCAA All-SEC after teaming with Chris He and Oosthuizen achieved a ranking singles quarterfinals in 1981 and reel- Woodruff to reach the quarterfinals of as high as No. 5 in doubles. The UT ing off 27 consecutive No. 1 singles the 1993 NCAA doubles champi- tandme won the Southern victories in 1982. onships. Intercollegiate Doubles Title.

Paul Annacone - 1982-84 Chris Mahony - 1994, 96 The Vols’first three-time All-America, Mahony teamed with Pablo Montana Annacone was a two-time SEC cham- to win the 1996 Rolex National Indoor pion, the 1984 Rolex National Indoor doubles championship. He also gar- singles champion and the 1984 ITCA nered All-SEC honors in both singles Player of the Year. and doubles in 1994 and 1996.

Chris Green - 1984 Pablo Montana - 1994-96 Green teamed with Paul Annacone in Montana and partner Chris Mahony 1984 and the pair compiled an outstand- captured the 1996 Rolex National ing doubles record of 20-5. Green also Indoor doubles championship. As a sen- went undefeated at the No. 4 singles ior, Montana held down the No. 1 position that year. Singles position for the Vols.

Ben Rogers and Ockie Oosthuizen congratulate each other on another point won.

38 2006 Volunteers Tennis 2006 Men’s Tennis Vols on Tour

Chris Haggard Attended UT: 1992-93 Chris Woodruff Attended UT: 1992-93 VOL FACT

At Tennessee: Was an All-America At Tennessee: 1992 Volvo Tennis Tennessee has had numerous players graduate to the ATP selection in 1993 l Selected to the All- Rookie of the Year l Back-to-back All- tour and achieve success while on the tour. The following SEC doubles team in 1993 l 1993 SEC SEC and All-America selection in 1992 players have been ranked in the top-100 on the ATP tour: doubles finalist l 1993 NCAA doubles and 1993 l 1993 SEC Indoor singles Singles Doubles quarterfinalist. champion l 1993 NCAA doubles quar- Paul Annacone Paul Annacone terfinalist l 1993 NCAA singles cham- Mike DePalmer Jr. Shelby Cannon Professionally: Turned pro in 1993 and pion. Mel Purcell Mike DePalmer Jr. has recently blossomed into a top-20 Chris Woodruff Chris Haggard l doubles player on the ATP Tour; ranked No. 19 on 9/8/03 Professionally: Turned pro in 1993 and attained a career- Mel Purcell l Won doubles titles at Kitzbuhel in 1999, Tokyo and best world singles ranking of No. 9 in January 2000 Byron Talbot Amersfoort in 2002 and Adelaide in 2003 and Washington in Captured singles titles at the 1997 Montreal Super 9 2004 l Ended 2002 ranked No. 43 in the world in doubles l and the 1999 Miller Lite Hall of Fame Tennis Shelby Cannon Attended UT: 1985-88 Reached four other doubles finals, including Amersfoort and Championships l Reached the singles finals in Coral Springs Barcelona in 2003 l Was a doubles semifinalist at the 2003 and Philadelphia in 1996 l Defeated No. 3 seed Andre l Member of the South African Agassi at the 1996 l Was a singles quarterfi- Pro Doubles Titles: 1989 U.S. Open (mixed Team in 2003 and 2004 l Reached the final at San Marina nalist at the 2000 Australian Open l Was a three-time dou- doubles); 1993 at Barcelona; 1990 at Sao and six semi-finals bles finalist l Represented the United States in Davis Cup Paulo; 1992 at Genova competition in 2000. Career Earnings: $967,719 Doubles Finalist: 1989 at Montreal/Toronto; Outside the Lines: Returned to his alma mater in 2002 to 1991 at Guaruja; 1993 at Doha and Nice; 1994 serve as Tennessee’s volunteer assistant coach and was pro- at Doha; 1995 at Santiago moted to assistant coach prior to the 2005 season. Tracy DeLatte Attended UT: 1975-78 Paul Annacone Attended UT: 1982-84 Career Earnings: $1,903,479 Pro Doubles Titles: 1982 at Forest Hills WCT; Mike DePalmer Jr. Attended UT: 1981-82 At Tennessee: Recorded 115 career sin- 1984 at Johannesburg gles victories l SEC No. 1 doubles champion in 1982 l 1984 ITCA Player At Tennessee: Was a back-to-back All- Doubles Finalist: 1982 at Brussels and of the Year l 1984 Rolex National America selection in 1981 and 1982 l Monterrey; 1983 at Las Vegas Indoor singles champion l 1984 SEC Selected to the All-SEC first team in Outdoor No. 1 singles champion l Was 1981 and 1982 l 1982 SEC Outdoor Michael Fancutt Attended UT: 1979-81, 83 a three-time All-SEC first-team selec- No. 1 singles champion l Won back-to- l tion from 1982-84 Was a three-time back SEC No. 1 doubles titles in 1981 Pro Doubles Results: 1984 Australian Open l All-America selection from 1982-84 Holds the Tennessee and 1982. semifinalist, 1984 Wimbledon semifinalist, school records for career (.839) and season (.944) singles 1982 Australian Hard Court Champion winning percentage. Professionally: Turned pro in 1982 and was once ranked as high as No. 32 in the world in singles l Was ranked as high Professionally: Turned pro in 1984 l Won 157 career sin- as No. 4 in the world in doubles (with partner Gary gles matches and attained a career-best world singles ranking Donnelly) l Reached the singles final at Ancona in 1982 l Doug Flach Attended UT: 1990 of No. 12 l Captured Grand Prix singles titles at Brisbane Won doubles titles at Vienna and Livingston in 1985 l and Los Angeles in 1985 and Vienna in 1989 l Was a singles Represented the United States in the 1985 Davis Cup l quarterfinalist at Wimbledon in 1984 l Won 14 career dou- Captured three doubles titles in 1986: at Hong Kong, Tokyo Pro Doubles Titles: 1993 at Beijing; 1998 at bles titles including the 1985 Australian Open l Represented Indoor and Johannesburg l Held a one-time top-10 world Newport the United States in Davis Cup competition in 1986 and doubles ranking l 1987 U.S. Open doubles semifinalist l 1987. two-time Domino’s Team Tennis Player of the Year l Won Doubles Finalist: 1991 at ; 1993 doubles titles at Florence in 1989. at Coral Springs; 1996 at Washington; 1999 at Outside the Lines: Donated funds for the installation of a Delray Beach complete outdoor lighting system at UT’s Varsity Courts in Outside the Lines: Following his retirement from the ATP 1987 l Coached 14-time champion Pete Tour in 1992, DePalmer Jr. returned to the famous Bolletieri Andy Kohlberg Attended UT: 1978-79 Sampras from 1995-2001 and again in 2002, during which Tennis Academy in Bradenton, Fla., where he began his jun- time Sampras won 33 singles titles, eight Grand Slam cham- ior career and spent nearly four years as the director of the pionships and was a four-time year-end No. 1-ranked player academy’s Elite Junior Program l Served as the primary Pro Doubles Titles: 1986 at Atlanta in the world (1995-98) l Was named the USTA’s managing practice partner for six-time Grand Slam winner Boris director of USA Tennis High-Performance in December Becker, then became Becker’s full-time coach in 1995 l Doubles Finalist: 1981 at Forest Hills WCT; 2001, the restructured and renamed USTA division that facil- Coached Australian superstar in 2000 l 1985 at Stuttgart Outdoor itates the development of world-class American tennis cham- Served as coach of the World Team Tennis league’s pions l Inducted into the ITA Men’s Collegiate Tennis Hall franchise in 2002 l Inducted into the of Fame in 2002 l Coached ATP star to a No. Greater Knoxville Sports Hall of Fame on August 7, 2003 l Mel Purcell Attended UT: 1980 6 finish in the Indesit ATP 2004 Race l Hosts the annual Also spent time as American tour standout Justin Paul Annacone Tennis Classic in East Hampton, N. Y., which Gimelstob’s coach l Is now the director of tennis at Green Pro Singles Titles: 1981 at Atlanta, Tampa and benefits numerous charities. Meadow Country Club in Knoxville. Tel Aviv Career Earnings: $1,649,327 (as a player) Career Earnings: $406,143 (as a player) Singles Finalist: 1980 at Indianapolis; 1982 at Boston and Los Angeles; 1983 at Monte Carlo Byron Talbot Attended UT: 1985-88 and Vienna

At Tennessee: Was a three-time All- Pro Doubles Titles: 1982 at Munich; 1983 at Vienna; 1987 America selection from 1986-88 l at Vienna Made the All-SEC first-team in both doubles and singles from 1986-88 l Doubles Finalist: 1982 at Monterrey; 1986 at Boston; 1987 1986 Volvo Tennis Collegiate doubles at Scottsdale champion.

Professionally: Turned pro in 1988 and made his mark primarily as a doubles player l Won doubles titles in 1992 at Stuttgart Indoor and Toulouse l Captured the doubles title at Prague in 1995 l Was a three-time doubles winner in 1996 at Copenhagen, Kitzbuhel and Stuttgart Former Vols great Paul Annacone coached to Outdoor l Won his final doubles title in 1998 at Nottingham. five Wimbledon singles titles during the pair’s outstanding tenure together. Career Earnings: $861,065

39 2006 Volunteers Tennis Memorable Matches University of Tennessee

With a program that dates back to 1927, Tennessee has been a part of countless memo- -The Romp in the Swamp rable matches. Here are a few of Tennessee’s storybook confrontations from recent April 12, 2000 w Gainesville, Fla. years: No. 10 Tennessee 4, No. 3 Florida 3 Vols Duo Achieves NCAA Doubles Glory May 26, 1980 w Athens, Ga. The Tennessee - Florida rivalry extends much further than the grid- Harmon/Purcell def. Benson/Giammalva 7-6, 7-6 (5-4) iron. One memorable encounter between the Volunteers and Gators took place April 12, 2000, on UF’s Ring Tennis Complex courts. The match had SEC regular-season championship implications, and Nearly one year earlier to the day, a duo from Trinity University had bested Tennessee’s the competitors on both sides fought with ferocity. top tandem (Michael Fancutt and Andy Kohlberg) in the NCAA men’s tennis doubles cham- Tennessee strolled into the Swamp ranked No. 10 in the ITA nation- pionship. This time around, two new Vols fought their way to the title round, and they weren’t al poll. Head coach Michael Fancutt and his squad were clearly interested in walking away empty-handed. underdogs, playing on the road in the SEC against the No. 3-ranked After all, Tennessee’s Rodney Harmon and Mel Purcell had already defeated the Trinity team in the nation. team of John Benson and Tony Giammalva twice earlier during the 1980 season. A third vic- Florida was anything but a welcoming host, stealing the doubles tory over their Tigers rivals would make Harmon and Purcell the first NCAA tennis champi- point and the first two singles tallies at the Nos. 1 and 2 positions. On Adam Carey ons in Tennessee history. a day during which the struggling Vols saw themselves faced with a One day after defeating Southern Methodist’s Tommy Cain and Jay DeLouis in the quar- seemingly insurmountable 3-0 match deficit, Fancutt was pleased to terfinals and Stanford’s Lloyd Bourne and Peter Rennert in the semifinals, the top-seeded see his bottom three singles players step up to the challenge. Tennessee got consecutive vic- Tennessee duo set their sights on achieving Volunteers history. tories from Peter Handoyo, Paul Podbury and Mark Fitzpatrick at the Nos. 4 through 6 spots, Down 5-4 in the first set, Harmon and Purcell rallied to even the set at 5-5 before falling respectively. behind once again 6-5. After a second rally tied the set at 6-6 to force a tiebreaker, Harmon The deciding match was still being contested, as Vols sophomore Adam Carey slugged it unleashed a howling baseline forehand that shot directly in-between Benson and Giammalva out with Florida’s Nathan Overholser on court No. 3. Overholser began to serve for the match at the net. The blast gave the Vols tandem the first set, as well as some valuable momentum. in the second set, and the Vols could feel the jaws of the Gators closing. But like the original The second set also saw the two teams fight their way to a 6-6 deadlock. Trinity led the Volunteers at the Siege of the Alamo in 1836, Carey exhibited a bold refusal to accept defeat, second tiebreaker 4-3 before a Benson double fault evened things at 4-4. Tennessee had the breaking his opponent’s serve and forcing a third set. final three serves. Trinity stole the first, but a well-timed Harmon smash at the net kept the In dramatic fashion, Carey fought his way to a 6-3 triumph in the deciding set, thus snap- Vols’ hopes alive. Purcell then served to Giammalva, whose return was met by a charging ping Florida’s 11-match winning steak and handing the Gators their first conference loss of Harmon. The freshman’s second consecutive smash gave Tennessee its first-ever NCAA the season. men’s tennis champions. When the dust cleared, Tennessee had clinched its seventh regular-season SEC crown. After the match, Tennessee coach John Newman was asked his secret to producing such outstanding doubles combinations. Dreams Become Reality; Vols Reach NCAA Semifinals “Actually I have two secrets,” Newman said. “Mel Purcell and Rodney Harmon.” May 21, 2000 w Athens, Ga. No. 10 Tennessee 4, No. 2 UCLA 1 Homegrown Netter Makes History with NCAA Singles Title May 23, 1993 Athens, Ga. w It had been quite a run for Tennessee. During the 2000 regular season, the Vols toppled Chris Woodruff def. Wade McGuire 6-3, 6-1 No. 1-ranked Stanford, No. 3-ranked Florida and No. 4-ranked Texas A&M. And in the quar- terfinals of the NCAA Championships, Tennessee would have its shot at the nation’s No. 2- Chris Woodruff grew up in the shadow of Big Orange tennis. Born and raised in East ranked team, the UCLA Bruins. Tennessee, a graduate of Bearden High School in Knoxville and the son of a UT professor of Early in the contest, the doubles point went to Tennessee after it was clinched by Adam marketing and transportation, Woodruff was quite familiar with Tennessee’s successful and Carey and Mark Parsons at the No. 2 position. nationally respected men’s tennis program. Peter Handoyo and Paul Podbury added singles wins for Tennessee, and in the process, And when the time came to announce his college of choice, Woodruff chose to remain made a strong case for the argument that the SEC had surpassed the Pac-10 as America’s top on Rocky Top, despite strong recruitment from numerous programs nationwide. collegiate tennis conference. After compiling a 39-7 overall singles record as a sophomore, Woodruff was anointed the Handoyo’s victim, Jean-Julien Rojer, had suffered only two singles losses all season prior No. 1 seed in the NCAA men’s tennis singles championships. He lived up to the hype by to his encounter with the crafty Vols sophomore. storming to the final in impressive fashion, citing his mental toughness as the strongest part “I was just playing great today,” Handoyo said. “I was playing out of my mind, I guess.” of his game. On court No. 6, Mark Fitzpatrick was giving his all for Tennessee, and he watched as his “I may not have all the tools,” Woodruff said. “But with my mental toughness, I can teammates dominated the Bruins. Fitzpatrick followed suit, rallying from a one-set deficit to overcome those weaknesses.” beat UCLA’s Erfan Djahangiri 4-6, 6-4, 6-2. Fitzpatrick hurled his racquet into the stands in His opponent in the final was a familiar one. Georgia senior Wade McGuire had dealt a jubilation after the win. swift 6-0, 6-2 loss to Woodruff one month earlier in the SEC Tournament. “I have always dreamed of winning the clinching match in the NCAAs since I have been Woodruff opened the match by playing to McGuire’s backhand in an attempt to avoid the in college,” Fitzpatrick said. “It was really great to be able to achieve that.” Bulldog’s fierce forehand. The determined Vol exhibited pinpoint placement with his serves The UCLA loss marked only the eighth time in 23 years that the Bruins were denied a and ground strokes and kept the ball deep to prevent McGuire from charging the net. spot in the NCAA semifinals. An experienced netter who was competing in his second consecutive NCAA final, “Tennessee was just a little bit too good for us today,” UCLA head coach Billy Martin McGuire surprised his home-court fans by losing his composure in the first set. In the eighth said. game, McGuire hit a ball that was on its way out of bounds, passed on a shot that sailed over The Cramp Calamity his head and landed in play and then proceeded to dispute a line call with the chair umpire. Woodruff held serve in the next game to win the first set 6-3. May 22, 2000 w Athens, Ga. The second set saw more of the same for both players, as Woodruff broke serve to take No. 19 Virginia Commonwealth 4, No. 9 Tennessee 3 the first game. A visibly frustrated McGuire found himself in a 3-0 set deficit shortly there- after, and that proved to be too much. Woodruff made 72 percent of his first serves and hit seven aces to four double faults. He “It came suddenly. My legs just locked up. It wasn’t so much the ripped his forehand and backhand with equal effectiveness and tossed in a few timely volleys. pain, but my legs just wouldn’t go.” He made only nine unforced errors to McGuire’s 25 and had 12 break points to McGuire’s Those were the words of Vols junior Paul Podbury as he recalled one. Tennessee’s cramp calamity in the 2000 NCAA semifinals, a 4-3 loss “He was too tough,” McGuire said. “Too many winners.” to Virginia Commonwealth. Thirteen years after Tennessee claimed its first NCAA doubles title, Woodruff gave the “I was in the van going to the hospital and I remember hoping I school its first NCAA singles champion. would get a chance to redeem myself the following day,” Podbury “This is without a doubt the highest honor I could have possibly won until now,” a proud said. “I was hoping Peter (Handoyo) could do it, but it happened to Woodruff said after the match. him, too.” Podbury and sophomore teammate Handoyo both endured the same unfortunate fate that day, after three grueling days of competition in Paul Podbury the hot Georgia sun. Severe muscle cramps forced both players to retire against the Rams. Tennessee’s semifinal matchup versus VCU was the Vols’ third noon contest in as many days. Podbury was up a set at No. 4 when his cramps set in. His retirement knotted the match at 3-3, leaving the team’s fate in Handoyo’s hands. Both Handoyo and his opponent had fend- ed off minor cramps throughout their contest, but when Handoyo finally fell to the court

40 2006 Volunteers Tennis 2005 Men’s Tennis Memorable Matches

screaming in agony, Tennessee head coach Michael Fancutt threw in the towel. to put the Volunteers on the scoreboard. “You can’t sit there and watch someone you’ve worked with for three years suffer like But it was Georgia’s day. Carlson clinched the title for the Bulldogs by downing Adam that,” a dejected Fancutt said after the match. Carey in a thrilling three-setter. “It was unfortunate the way we lost,” Podbury said. “To be that close and then fall short “I was proud of my guys,” Tennessee head coach Michael Fancutt said after the match. was one of the worst things I have ever felt.” “Our goal was to win the tournament so this is extremely disappointing for us. But I am proud of my team for playing as well as they did under the circumstances.” Return to the Semis Senior Day Success vs. Georgia May 21, 2001 w Athens, Ga. No. 8 Tennessee 4, No. 1 Stanford 2 April 13, 2002 w Knoxville, Tenn. No. 8 Tennessee 4, No. 1 Georgia 3 Stanford was a juggernaut in 2001. The perennial Pac-10 power- house entered the NCAA Championships as the No. 1 seed and the As they arrived at Tennessee’s Varsity Courts that Saturday afternoon, Vols seniors Adam defending national champion. Carey, Andy Crews, Peter Handoyo and Mario Toledo aspired to beat the odds and put an end Tennessee, the tournament’s No. 8 seed, brought a 21-5 overall to visiting Georgia’s long-standing winning streak. Georgia arrived that afternoon boasting record into the contest. The Vols netters had reached the NCAA semi- an impressive 25-match SEC unbeaten streak and a 17-0 record. finals just one year prior, and they were eager to return once again. But once the balls started buzzing, it became apparent to the more than 500 Big Orange “It is something we have worked extremely hard for all year,” said fans in attendance that Tennessee was not intimidated. The Bulldogs knew an epic battle was Tennessee head coach Michael Fancutt. “It’s funny ... it is almost a imminent when the mighty Vols stormed out of the gate and claimed the doubles point and a year to the day from our losing in the final four last year (to VCU), 1-0 match lead going into singles competition. when we were a couple of points — and cramps — away from play- “The doubles were crucial today,” Crews said. “I wanted to go out there and leave it all ing Stanford in the finals. We’ve been looking forward to playing on the court and have no regrets. It paid off. We applied the pressure to them we had want- Mario Toledo Stanford again ... basically all year.” ed.” Stanford grabbed the early momentum by capturing the doubles Playing the role of a predator on its home courts, Tennessee raced out to first-set leads in point. Scott Lipsky then downed Vols freshman Simon Rea at No. 6 singles to put the four of six singles contests. Handoyo posted a win at the No. 2 spot to open up singles scor- Cardinal up 2-0. ing, but the Dawgs answered back with victories at the Nos. 1 and 5 positions. With the score The match then began to take on shades of Big Orange, as Peter Handoyo and Adam tied at 2-2, Carey recorded his 105th career win as a Vol to swing the momentum back in Carey notched wins at Nos. 3 and 4, respectively. Senior Mark Parsons, ranked No. 31 in the Tennessee’s favor. nation in singles, toppled the nation’s No. 18-ranked player, K.J. Hippensteel, in straight sets Needing only one more win to secure a Senior Day victory, No. 8-ranked Tennessee got at No. 1 singles to put the Vols up for good. the clinching tally from sophomore Wade Orr. Orr’s three-set victory over Nicolas Boeker It took three sets, but junior Mario Toledo put the finishing touches on the Tennessee vic- propelled the men from Rocky Top to a storybook upset win over the nation’s top-ranked tory, downing David Martin at the No. 2 slot. Toledo’s second consecutive clinching point team. ensured that the Vols would return to the NCAA semifinals. “This shows us that we can beat anyone in the nation,” an excited Carey said. “This is “You would probably have to go back a long time to find the last time someone beat definitely one of the best matches I have been involved with since I have been here. It just Stanford’s No. 1 through No. 4 players in a match,” a proud Fancutt said after the win. can’t get any better than beating the No. 1 team in the nation on Senior Day.” “What a great match by Tennessee,” Stanford head coach Dick Gould said. “Mike (Fancutt) did a great job in getting his guys ready for singles. I thought the top three match- Frustration in College Station es, their guys stayed in points very well. It was a tremendous competitive effort.” May 20, 2002 w College Station, Texas Leap-Frog to NCAA Title Round No. 11 Southern California 4, No. 2 Tennessee 3 May 22, 2001 w Athens, Ga. No. 8 Tennessee 4, No. 4 Texas Christian 0 Tennessee had been there before. Consecutive trips to the NCAA semifinals in 2000 and 2001 set the stage for the Vols’ return to the semifinals in 2002. After falling short in both pre- vious attempts to capture the national championship, Tennessee was poised to make another Michael Fancutt had good reason to feel proud. In only his fourth season as Tennessee run for the title. head coach, the Vols were heading to the NCAA final. The Trojans from the University of Southern California were just as hungry. Longtime “Right now, we are playing like a finely-tuned machine,” Fancutt said. “It is going to take Trojan head coach Dick Leach’s coaching resume` included 23 straight trips to the NCAA a pretty good team to beat us in the finals.” Championships and four national titles. Adding to the memorable storyline was the fact that Fancutt’s Vols had little difficulty in handing No. 4-seeded Texas Christian a convincing the 2002 campaign doubled as Leach’s farewell tour. He was to retire at season’s end. 4-0 defeat. Riding a tidal wave of wins into the contest, Tennessee opened by capturing the doubles After the match, Tennessee senior Mark Parsons marveled at how his teammates relied point. The Vols then continued to pursue a second straight trip to the NCAA final, using wins on emotion to deal the Horned Frogs the lopsided loss. by Peter Handoyo and Mario Toledo to build a 3-2 lead in the match. “It’s amazing how once one person gets up, then all of the other courts seem to go that Southern Cal managed to even things up when a cramping Daniel Langre outlasted Vol way as well,” Parsons said. “Once one court gets an edge, then everyone else feeds off that.” sophomore Simon Rea in a third-set tiebreaker. Trojan freshman Prakash Amritraj then kept After taking the doubles point from the Frogs, Tennessee racked up singles wins courtesy his coach’s season alive by defeating Wade Orr in a hard-fought three-setter. of Parsons, Mario Toledo and Peter Handoyo. The Vols didn’t yield a single set on their march “We hadn’t lost in months,” Tennessee head coach Michael Fancutt said. “We forgot how to the NCAA final. to lose. So I felt — with no offense to Southern Cal — we’d win the whole time.” Fellow SEC Eastern Division powerhouse Georgia awaited the Vols in the championship Although it fell short of its ultimate goal, Tennessee made history by becoming the only match. The Dawgs would have the advantage of playing in front of their home fans. team in the country to reach the NCAA semifinals in 2000, 2001 and 2002. “It will be an amazing atmosphere,” Fancutt said. “And an amazing match.” 2001 NCAA Finals: Clash of the SEC Titans May 23, 2001 w Athens, Ga. No. 3 Georgia 4, No. 8 Tennessee 1

It was the most-anticipated match of the year in men’s collegiate tennis. As the hot sun beat down on the battlefield that was Henry Feild Stadium, two hungry teams prepared them- selves for war. A capacity crowd gathered to witness the spectacle. It was Tennessee vs. Georgia for all the marbles. Georgia, ranked No. 3 in the nation coming into the contest, got off to a fast start in dou- bles. At the No. 3 position, the Georgia tandem of Nicolas Boeker and Chad Carlson record- ed a convincing 8-3 win over Tennessee’s Simon Rea and Mario Toledo. Bo Hodge and Brandon Wagner clinched the doubles point shortly thereafter, posting an 8-6 victory over the Vols’ No. 2 pairing of Peter Handoyo and Paul Podbury. With so much on the line, Tennessee played inspired as the singles portion of the match got underway. The Volunteers jumped out to an early lead on almost every court. Rallied by the support of the home fans, the Bulldogs slowly and steadily began to turn Tennessee’s 2002 NCAA semifinal loss to Southern California marked the final collegiate match the tide. Georgia grabbed the first singles point, as Wagner downed Rea at the No. 6 spot. for seniors (L-R) Peter Handoyo, Adam Carey, Andy Crews and Mario Toledo. Shown here with Lesley Joseph gave the Dawgs a 3-point lead by defeating Handoyo at the No. 3 position. former Vols coach Michael Fancutt (far left) and current head coach Chris Mahony (far right), Toledo then knocked off the nation’s No. 8-ranked singles player, Bo Hodge, in three sets this talented quartet was one of the winningest classes in the storied history of Tennessee tennis.

41 2006 Volunteers Tennis

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