May 9, 2009
No. 4 Bulldogs eliminate Hokies, 4-1
Tech falls in NCAA Second Round

ATHENS, Ga. - Two-time defending national champion Georgia proved too tough for valiant Virginia Tech team Saturday afternoon as the Bulldogs eliminated the Hokies, 4-1, in the NCAA Second Round. The Athens, Ga., regional was played at the Dan Magill Tennis Complex on the University of Georgia campus. Tech concludes the year with a 15-8 record while No. 4 Georgia improved to 24-3 with its’ 62nd consecutive home court victory. The Bulldogs advance to the NCAA Round of 16 next week in College Station, Texas.

The Hokies, ranked No. 26 nationally and making their third consecutive trip to the NCAA Tournament, dropped both of the completed doubles contests to open the match and lost three of the four completed singles matches in the loss.

Georgia took a 2-0 lead as Pedro Graber (Jr., Santiago, Chile) lost, 6-2, 6-0, at No. 3 to 75th-ranked Jamie Hunt and the Bulldogs increased the advantage when 12th-ranked Nate Schnugg, on his fifth match point, finally defeated No. 55 Yoann Re (Jr., Verdun, Quebec, Canada), 7-5, 6-4, in the No. 1 contest.

The Hokies got on the board as Sebastien Jacques (So., Magog, Quebec, Canada) won 6-3, 6-3, in his No. 5 contest over Drake Bernstein, but the Bulldogs clinched the match when Brandon Corace (Sr., Naples, Fla.) dropped the No. 6 contest, 7-5, 6-3, to Christian Vitulli. Nicolas Delgado de Robles (Sr., Madrid, Spain) and Luka Somen (Fr., Karlovac, Croatia) had their respective matches at No. 2 and No. 4 halted once the team outcome had been decided.

In doubles, Daciek/Delgado de Robles lost the No. 1 match, 8-3, to Georgia’s 5th-ranked duo of Hunt/Schnugg and the Bulldogs clinched the point as Corace/Graber fell, 8-6, at No. 2 against Borja Malo/Vitulli. Jacques/Re were trailing 5-7 in the No. 3 match versus Bernstein/Garrapiz when play was stopped once the doubles point had been determined.

Tech’s Re will participate in the NCAA Singles Championships, May 20-25, at the George P. Mitchell Tennis Center in College Station, Texas. Pairings for the individual tournament will be released on May 19.

#4 Georgia 4, #26 Virginia Tech 1
Singles
1. #12 Nate Schnugg (UGA) def. #55 Yoann Re (VT) 7-5, 6-4,
2. #62 Javier Garrapiz (UGA) vs. #94 Nicolas Delgado de Robles (VT) 7-6 (2), 1-1 DNF
3. #75 Jamie Hunt (UGA) def. Pedro Graber (VT) 6-2, 6-0
4. Luka Somen (VT) vs. Josh Varela (UGA) 6-1, 6-7 (3), DNF
5. Sebastien Jacques (VT) def. Drake Bernstein (UGA) 6-3, 6-3
6. Christian Vitulli (UGA) def. Brandon Corace (VT) 7-5, 6-3
Finishing Order: 3, 1, 5, 6*

Doubles
1. #5 Hunt/Schnugg (UGA) def. Daciek/Delgado de Robles (VT) 8-3
2. Borja Malo/Vitulli (UGA) def. Corace/Graber (VT) 8-6
3. Jacques/Re (VT) vs. Bernstein/Garrapiz (UGA) 5-7, DNF
Finishing Order: 2, 1*

*clinching point

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