NORTH CAROLINA SCHOOLS PULL OFF UPSETS ON DAY 2 OF USTA TENNIS ON CAMPUS FALL INVITATIONAL

Written by: Staff on 12th October 2013

N.C. State celebrates its win over Duke. / Peter Staples / USTA Tennis On Campus

pstaples1@hotmail.com |

HILTON HEAD ISLAND, S.C., Oct. 12, 2013 – Two North Carolina schools produced huge upsets in convincing fashion on Saturday at the fourth annual USTA Tennis On Campus Fall Invitational being played at the Palmetto Dunes Tennis Center.

North Carolina State beat defending Fall Invite champion and ACC rival Duke 30-11 in the Round of 16 of the Gold Bracket, then downed James Madison 30-12 in the quarterfinal round to advance to Sunday’s semifinals where the Wolfpack will meet Nationals finalist Florida. Meanwhile, North Carolina-Chapel Hill took out defending National Champion Georgia 30-14 without dropping a set and winning two tiebreakers in the World Team Tennis co-ed format.

“We were there at Nationals watching them play in the final and I recognized a lot of their players when we got here,” Tar Heels senior captain Megan Huang said. “It was actually a little bit intimidating seeing them here and thinking, ‘Wow, they’re really good.’ “

North Carolina will face 2011 Fall Invitational winner and last year’s finalist Virginia in the other semifinal.

“I think we came in with a lot of fight,” said Huang, whose team made the semifinals here two years ago and placed third, but did not play this event last year. “We cheer for each other and that helps a lot, especially during the tiebreakers.”

N.C. State captain Nate Weiner credited the strong singles play of Justin Radloff as the key to the teams wins this weekend. “We’ve played Duke several times but this is our biggest margin of victory against them,” Weiner said. “They are our conference rivals, them and UNC. We go at it pretty good with those guys.”

Florida squeaked past Georgia Tech, 24-20, for a place in the semifinals.

“This is the first time we’ve played this event and it’s great,” said Gators captain Adam Decker, minutes after teaming with partner Stephanie Cruz to win the mixed doubles in a competitive tiebreaker, 6-5. It’s like the Fall Nationals. It has the same feel as the Nationals. The matches feel just as important as Nationals.”

Decker is the son of a tennis coach who has been playing since he was 9. “I stopped playing for a while in high school but when I got to college I met so many good players. I tried to walk-on to the varsity team but didn’t make it.”

Decker said he knows most of the players on the Florida Intercollegiate team. “I don’t really know what they think of Tennis On Campus,” he said. “I don’t think they think it’s this intense. They don’t think it’s as competitive as it really is.”

Tournament Director Meghan Houk said she was looking forward to the Sunday semifinal matchups. “It’s great to see three new schools get into the semis,” Houk said. “We had some unexpected results today and it keeps the event interesting. It shows that in Tennis On Campus, anything can happen and it’s not always the same teams getting to the semis.”

To view all the scores and draws from the first two days of play, go to:

http://tennislink.usta.com/Tournaments/TournamentHome/Tournament.aspx?T=142802

ABOUT USTA TENNIS ON CAMPUS: The USTA TOC program features more than 35,000 college students competing nationwide in intramural coed club play. Developed by the USTA in partnership with the National Intramural Recreational Sports Association, World TeamTennis and the Intercollegiate Tennis Association the program gives college students the opportunity to build leadership skills, network in a coed sports environment and compete on a college team without the rigors of playing in a varsity program. With year-round match play, and sectional and national championship competition, students maintain active and healthy lifestyles through their college years. Since its inception in 2000, Tennis On Campus has grown significantly and today has programs on more than 600 college campuses across the country.

Saturday’s Bracket Results

Gold Bracket Round of 16

Florida def. Georgia College and State, 30-8

Georgia Tech def. Auburn, 30-19

Arizona def. Ohio State, 26-25

Virginia def. South Carolina, 23-20

James Madison def. Alabama, 25-23

NC State def. Duke, 30-11

Georgia def. College of Charleston, 28-16

UNC-Chapel Hill def. William and Mary, 30-9

Gold Bracket Quarterfinals (winners)

Florida def. Georgia Tech, 24-20

NC State def. James Madison, 30-12

UNC-Chapel Hill def. Georgia, 30-14

Virginia def. Arizona, 22-16

Gold Bracket Quartefinals (losers)

Auburn def. Georgia College and State, 29-26

Duke def. Alabama, 27-19

William and Mary def. College of Charleston, 28-20

South Carolina def. Ohio State, 25-22

Silver Bracket Quarterfinals

Tennessee def. Furman, 30-12

Georgia State def. Villanova, 23-18

Minnesota def. UNC-Greensboro, 24-15

Kentucky def. Colorado School of Mines, 28-18

Silver Bracket Semifinals (winners)

Tennessee def. Georgia State, 29-16

Minnesota def. Kentucky, 22-21

Silver Bracket Semifinals (losers)

Villanova def. Furman, 28-20

UNC-Greensboro def. Colorado School of Mines, 23-17

Bronze Bracket Quarterfinals

Dayton def. Ohio, 26-21

Wisconsin def. Old Dominion, 22-20

Vanderbilt def. Wake Forest, 26-11

Ferris State def. Pennsylvania, 24-23

Bronze Bracket Semifinals (winners)

Wisconsin def. Dayton, 28-19

Vanderbilt def. Ferris State, 25-16

Bronze Bracket Semifinals (losers)

Ohio def. Old Dominion, 21-15

Pennsylvania def. Wake Forest, 26-18

Saturday’s Final Pool Play Results

Pool 3

Kentucky def. Wisconsin-Madison, 29-17

Alabama def. William and Mary, 25-23

Pool 4

Virginia def. North Carolina-Greensboro, 29-15

Georgia College and State def. Ferris State, 27-16

Pool 5

Florida def. Vanderbilt, 30-8

Ohio State def. Furman, 30-7

Pool 6

N.C.-Chapel Hill def. Minnesota-Twin Cities, 24-23

South Carolina def. Old Dominion, 27-7

Sunday’s Schedule

All matches being played at the Palmetto Dunes Tennis Center

8 a.m. – Gold & Silver Bracket Playoffs

10 a.m. – Gold, Silver & Bronze Bracket Playoffs

10 a.m. – TOC National Fall Invitational Gold Bracket Championship Match

Past USTA Tennis On Campus Fall Invitational Champions

2010 – University of Alabama

2011– University of Virginia

2012 – Duke University

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TennisOnCampus says:

October 13, 2013 at 5:26 am

Check out the Day 2 report detailing the @USTA_NC N. Carolina upsets at the #TOCFallInvite2013 @10sBalls_com
http://t.co/Na9kh6AvLA
NIRSAChamp says:

October 13, 2013 at 6:27 am

RT @TennisOnCampus: Check out the Day 2 report detailing the @USTA_NC N. Carolina upsets at the #TOCFallInvite2013 @10sBalls_com
http://t.…
FHSTCA says:

October 13, 2013 at 8:32 pm

RT @TennisOnCampus: Check out the Day 2 report detailing the @USTA_NC N. Carolina upsets at the #TOCFallInvite2013 @10sBalls_com
http://t.…