Projected lineup 6 NCAA CHAMPIONSHIPS 39 SEC CHAMPIONSHIPS 47 ALL-AMERICANS 8 NCAA INDIVIDUAL CHAMPIONS SCHEDULE (20-4, 12-0) GEORGIA ROSTER

Transcription

1 6 NCAA CHAMPIONSHIPS 39 SEC CHAMPIONSHIPS 47 ALL-AMERICANS 8 NCAA INDIVIDUAL CHAMPIONS SCHEDULE (20-4, 12-0) S11-14 Southern Intercollegiates S18-20 Oracle/ITA Masters S24-26 Cajun Classic O5-11 All-American Championships O16-19 Southeast Regional Championships N11-15 USTA/ITA Indoor Championships N13-15 Bulldog Scramble J16-18 MLK Invitational J23 #48 UC Santa Barbara! W, 4-1 J24 #44 Memphis! W, 4-1 J30 at #12 UCLA$ L, 6-1 J31 #8 USC$ Cancelled F6 #44 Georgia Tech W, 6-1 F12 #4 UCLA@ L, 4-3 F13 #16 Columbia@ W, 4-3 F14 #10 Texas Tech@ L, 4-2 F28 East Tennessee State W, 6-1 M4 # 50 Mississippi State* W, 5-2 M6 #49 Alabama* W, 6-1 M13 at #56 Vanderbilt* W, 5-2 M18 at #62 South Carolina* W, 7-2 M20 #4 Ohio State W, 4-2 M25 Tennessee* W, 5-2 M27 #18 Kentucky* W, 6-1 A1 at #10 Texas A&M* W, 4-1 A3 at #44 LSU* W, 4-3 A8 #14 Florida* W, 5-2 A10 #59 Auburn* W, 4-0 A15 at #12 Arkansas* W, 5-2 A17 at #32 Ole Miss* W, 4-0 A22 Ole Miss# W, 4-0 A23 Mississippi State# W, 4-1 A24 Florida# L, 4-2 M13-15 NCAA First & Second Rounds TBA M20-30 NCAA Championships TBA!ITA Kickoff - Athens, Ga. *SEC match $ SEC/Pac-12 Challenge in Westwood, ITA National Team Indoor Championships - Charlottesville, Va. # SEC Tournament - Columbia, S.C. NCAA Championships - Tulsa, Okla. All times Eastern. SPORTS COMMUNICATIONS Men s Tennis Contact Tray Littlefield (Trayl@sports.uga.edu) Office Phone (706) Fax (706) Website Mailing Address P.O. Box 1472, Athens, Ga Singles: GEORGIA ROSTER Player Height Class Hometown #123 Walker Duncan 6-1 Fr. Atlanta, Ga. Andy Martinez 6-0 So. Atlanta, Ga. #32 Wayne Montgomery 5-10 So. Somerset West, Cape Town, South Africa #64 Paul Oosterbaan 6-7 RSo. Kalamazoo, Mich. Alex Phillips 5-10 Fr. Peachtree City, Ga. Emil Reinberg 6-2 Fr. Atlanta, Ga. #17 Austin Smith 6-1 Sr. Cumming, Ga. Ben Wagland 6-3 Sr. Sydney, Australia Nick Wood 5-10 Sr. Knoxville, Tenn. Jan Zielinski 5-10 Fr. Warsaw, Poland --- Head Coach: Manuel Diaz Associate Head Coach: Bo Hodge Volunteer Coach: Nick Papac Prononciations Paul Oosterbaan Emil Reinberg Jan Zielinski Manuel Diaz #7 Georgia at the 2016 NCAA Championships First & Seconds Rounds Athens, Ga. May Projected lineup 1. Austin Smith 2. Wayne Montgomery 3. Paul Oosterbaan 4. Walker Duncan 5. Jan Zielinski 6. Nick Wood Doubles: 1. Austin Smith & Ben Wagland 2. Paul Oosterbaan & Jan Zielinski 3. Wayne Montgomery & Emil Reinberg OH-ster-bahn eh-meel rine-berg Yahn zuh-lynn-ski DEE-az facebook.com/ugamenstennis Twitter & 1

2 GEORGIA S NCAA TOURNAMENT HISTORY: Georgia is all-time in the NCAA Tournament with six titles, most recently in This is the 13th consecutive year that the Bulldogs have played host to the first and second rounds, and UGA has advanced to the NCAA Championships each time. In addition to winning six NCAA championships, Georgia has reached the NCAA final seven other times. This is the Bulldogs 38th appearance in the NCAA Tournament. AUSTIN SMITH INVITED TO PLAY IN BB&T ATLANTA OPEN: Senior Austin Smith received a wild card bid to participate in the main singles draw of the 2016 BB&T Atlanta Open. The tournament, which runs from July 30-August 7, is the third event in the nine-tournament series leading up to the US Open. The event, which features 28 singles players and a 16-team doubles draw, will take place at Atlantic Station in Atlanta and will be the last ATP tournament prior to the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro. Smith will play his first match at the BB&T Atlanta Open College Night on Tuesday, Aug. 2. ALL-SEC DAWGS: Four Bulldogs earned All-SEC honors following the 2016 SEC Tournament. Senior Austin Smith and sophomore Wayne Montgomery led the way with firstteam honors, while redshirt-sophomore Paul Oosterbaan garnered second-team honors. Walker Duncan was named to the SEC All-Freshman team. THREE BULLDOGS EARN NCAA INDIVIDUAL BIDS: Austin Smith, Wayne Montgomery and Ben Wagland earned bids to the singles and doubles portion of the NCAA Championships in Tulsa, Oklahoma on May Smith and Montgomery earned at-large bids in singles, with Smith earning a spot among the top 16 seeds. The senior will pair up with Wagland in doubles competition. LEAGUE PERFECTION: With their victories against No. 12 Arkansas and No. 32 Ole Miss in April, the Bulldogs finished the 2016 SEC slate with a perfect 12-0 regular season record, Georgia s first since its 2007 NCAA National Championship squad. With its win against the Razorbacks, Georgia clinched its 39th SEC title overall. SENIORS MAKE HISTORY: Austin Smith, Ben Wagland and Nick Wood have engraved their mark in UGA history with home wins against No. 13 Florida and No. 59 Auburn. The senior class went a perfect 24-0 at home in SEC regular season matches and became the first senior class since 1972 to win four-straight SEC regular season crowns, a feat that has only been done three times in Georgia s storied men s tennis history. notes UNDERCLASSMEN SHINE FOR GEORGIA: The Bulldogs current lineup features a strong group of underclassmen. Four of Georgia s six singles players are either freshmen or sophomores, while the Bulldogs current doubles lineup features pairs of freshman/sophomore duos in Paul Oosterbaan and Jan Zielinski as well as the Wayne Montgomery/ Emil Reinberg pair. The Bulldog freshman trio of Walker Duncan, Zielinski and Reinberg are 21-4 in singles play in SEC matches RANKINGS: Senior Austin Smith highlighted Georgia s rankings in the latest ITA polls moving up to No. 17 in singles and No. 7 in doubles with fellow senior Ben Wagland. Sophomore Wayne Montgomery remained at No. 32, while redshirt-sophomore Paul Oosterbaan moved up to No. 64. The Bulldogs remained at No. 7 following the SEC Tournament. BULLDOGS EARN RECOGNITION: Wayne Montgomery, Paul Oosterbaan and Austin Smith all earned SEC Athlete of the Week honors earlier this season. Montgomery was honored as SEC player of the Week on March 23 after leading the Bulldogs to a pair of ranked wins, including a victory over No. 4 Ohio State. Oosterbaan picked up the recognition on March 9 after leading Georgia to a 2-0 start in SEC play. Smith earned his honor on April 6, after clinching both of Georgia s wins against No. 10 Texas A&M and No. 44 LSU. SERIES RECORDS: Georgia is a combined 24-7 against Baylor, Florida State and South Carolina State - the three other teams represented in the Athens regional. UGA is most familiar with the Seminoles, owning a 19-6 record against FSU, including a 4-0 victory last season in the NCAA second round. The Bulldogs are 3-1 vs. the Bears and a perfect 2-0 against South Carolina State. SMITH LEADS THE SEC: Austin Smith proved to be the class of the SEC this season, leading the conference in dual match singles wins with 19. The Cumming, Georgia native is also the SEC s active career leader in singles wins with 127. Smith leads Georgia with 18 ranked singles wins and 26 doubles victories - which leads the conference. GEORGIA TO HOST 2017 NCAA CHAMPIONSHIPS: The University of Georgia will host the NCAA Championships at the Dan Magill Tennis Complex in Athens next season. Regarded as one of the best collegiate tennis facilites in America, the complex hosted the men s NCAA Championships a total of 24 times, the women s NCAA s three times and both genders four times, most recently in It played host to 13 NCAA Championships in a row from In 2006, the NCAA opted to have one combined site for the men s and women s tennis championships. 2

3 ITA RANKINGS Team 1. Virginia 2. UCLA 3. North Carolina 4. TCU 5. Ohio State 6. Wake Forest 7. Georgia 8. Texas Tech 9. Florida 10. Oklahoma 11. USC 12. Texas A&M 13. California 14. Northwestern 15. Illinois 16. Oklahoma State 17. South Florida 18. Texas 19. Arkansas 20. Kentucky 21. Mississippi State 22. Florida State 23. Tulsa 24. Michigan 25. Columbia 2016 DUAL MATCH STATS W L All Matches 20 4 Home 11 0 Away 6 1 Netural 3 3 SEC Matches 12 0 Home 6 0 Away 6 0 Neutral 0 0 vs. Ranked Opp No No No No No vs. Unranked Opp. 2 0 January 2 1 February 3 2 March 7 0 April 8 1 May 0 0 Indoors 4 3 Outdoors 16 1 Winning Doubles 15 1 Losing Doubles 5 3 TRACKING GEORGIA S RANKINGS Date Team Smith Montg. Ooster. Duncan Zielinski Smith/ Oosterbaan./ Montgomery/ Wagland Zielinski Reinberg S J J J F F F F M M M M M A A A A M = not released that week THE LAST TIME GEORGIA... Won at Home 4/10/16 vs. #59 Auburn, 4-0 Won on the Road 4/17/16 at #32 Ole Miss, 4-0 Won At Neutral Site 4/23/16 vs. #25 Miss. St. (SEC Championships), 4-1 Lost at Home 2/1/15 vs. #1 USC, 4-0 Lost on the Road 1/30/16 at #12 UCLA, 6-1 Lost At Neutral Site 4/24/16 vs. #11 Florida (SEC Championships), 4-2 Earned a Shutout 4/22/16 vs. #29 Ole Miss, 4-0 Was Shutout 1/24/16 vs. #44 Memphis, 4-1 Won the Doubles Point 4/23/16 vs. #25 Miss. St. Swept the Doubles Point 4/23/16 vs. #25 Miss. St. Lost the Doubles Point 4/24/16 vs. #11 Florida Recorded Back-to-Back Shutouts 5/8/15 (4-0) & 5/9/15 (4-0) Held a 5-match win streak 2/28/16-3/27/16 (8 matches) Held a 10-match win streak 2/28/16-4/10/16 (14 matches) Held a 15-match win streak 2/28/16-4/23/16 (16 matches) Held a 20-match win streak 2/4/07-2/16/08 (38 matches) Held a 25-match win streak 2/4/07-2/16/08 (38 matches) Held a 30-match win streak 2/4/07-2/16/08 (38 matches) Held a 35-match win streak 2/4/07-2/16/08 (38 matches) Held a 40-match win streak 3/23/70-5/1/71 (47 matches) Held a 45-match win streak 3/23/70-5/1/71 (47 matches) THE MANUEL DIAZ FILE» 28th season at Georgia» (.823) career record» Four NCAA Championships (1999, 2001, 2007, 2008)» 18 SEC regular season titles (1989, 1991, 1993, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1999, 2001, 2002, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2011, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016)» Nine SEC Tournament titles (1991, 1993, 1995, 2001, 2004, 2006, 2007, 2012, 2013)» 27 combined SEC regular season and tournament titles» One of only three active coaches with multiple NCAA titles» Coached UGA to its first ITA Team Indoor National Championship in 2006, then went back-to-back, winning another in 2007» Three-time ITA National Coach of the Year (1995, 2001, 07)» Seven-time ITA Southeast Region Coach of the Year (1991, 92, 95, 2001, 06, 12, 14)» Five-time SEC Coach of the Year (1985, 95, 2001, 06, 07)» 34 players have received 84 All-America honors since Diaz became head coach» 18 SEC regular-season titles, nine SEC Tournament titles (27 total)» Finished the season ranked in the Top-5 19 times; finished Top-10 in 24 seasons and Top-25 in all 27» Appeared in NCAA Championship match 11 times (1989, 91, 93, 97, 98, 99, 2001, 02, 06, 07, 08)» Seven individual singles National Champions» Three individual doubles National Champions» Five four-year All-Americans under Diaz as head coach» 113 All-SEC honors under Diaz as head coach» Seven four-year All-SEC honorees (Baldas, Hodge, Isner, Hunt, Schnugg, Garrapiz, Pasha)» Four Academic All-Americans» 53 Academic All-SEC accolades» 15 SEC Scholar-Athlete Award winners» Three Clayton-Wilhite Scholar-Athlete Award winners» Three Joel Eaves Award winners» Assistant Coach at UGA under Dan Magill from » Promoted to Associate Head Coach in 1985» Became Head Coach for season upon Magill s retirement» Played at University of Georgia ( )» Two-time All-American ( )» Three-time All-SEC selection ( )» Four-straight SEC team titles as a player» Seven SEC individual titles as a player» No. 6 singles and No. 3 doubles in 1972» No. 1 singles and No. 1 doubles in 1973» No. 2 singles and No. 1 doubles in 1974» No. 1 doubles in 1975» Co-Captain of 1975 team that went 20-4 and won SEC title» Puerto Rican Davis Cup Captain from 1992 to 1997» Married to the former Suzanne Rondeau of Toronto, Canada» They have three sons: Manuel, III, Eric, and Alex» Born March 16, 1953 in San Juan, Puerto Rico MATCH CLINCHERS Match Smith Montgomery Oosterbaan Duncan Zielinski Wagland Reinberg UCSB GT UCLA CU TT ETSU OSU UM MS FL Wood 3

4 NCAA TOURNAMENT RESULTS st Round: California 6, Georgia st Round: Pepperdine 5, Georgia st Round: Pepperdine 5, Georgia st Round: Georgia 7, Houston 2 Quarterfinals: Georgia 7, Pepperdine 2 Semifinals: Stanford 7, Georgia 2 3/4 Playoff: Georgia 6, USC st Round: Georgia 6, Michigan 0 Quarterfinals: Georgia 5, Trinity 2 Semifinals: UCLA 7, Georgia 2 3/4 Playoff: SMU 5, Georgia st Round: Georgia 5, Arkansas 1 Quarterfinals: Georgia 5, USC 4 Semifinals: Stanford 5, Georgia 3 3/4 Playoff: Pepperdine 5, Georgia st Round: Georgia 6, Harvard 2 Quarterfinals: Georgia 5, Stanford 3 Semifinals: Georgia 5, USC 3 Final: Georgia 5, UCLA st Round: Pepperdine 7, Georgia st Round: Georgia 5, Clemson 2 Quarterfinals: Georgia 5, Pepperdine 3 Semifinals: Georgia 5, USC 3 Final: Georgia 5, UCLA st Round: Georgia 5, UCLA 4 Quarterfinals: LSU 5, Georgia st Round: Georgia 5, USC 1 Quarterfinals: Georgia 5, UC Irvine 1 Semifinals: Georgia 5, TCU 1 Final: Stanford 5, Georgia st Round: Georgia 5, Northwestern 1 Quarterfinals: USC 5, Georgia st Round: Georgia 5, Miami 3 Quarterfinals: Georgia 5, UCLA 4 Semifinals: Georgia 5, California 4 Final: USC 5, Georgia st Round: Georgia 5, Harvard 2 Quarterfinals: Notre Dame 5, Georgia st Round: Georgia 5, Florida 0 Quarterfinals: Georgia 5, Duke 4 Semifinals: Georgia 5, UCLA 4 Final: USC 5, Georgia st Round: Georgia 4, Notre Dame 3 Quarterfinals: Miss. State 4, Georgia st Round: Georgia 4, Arizona State 1 Quarterfinals: Georgia 4, TCU 1 Semifinals: Ole Miss 4, Georgia st Round: Georgia 4, Kansas 1 Quarterfinals: Georgia 4, Miss. State 0 Semifinals: Stanford 4, Georgia st Round: Georgia 4, Fresno State 0 Quarterfinals: Georgia 4, Miss State 2 Semifinals: Georgia 4, UCLA 2 Final: Stanford 4, Georgia st Round: Georgia 4, Harvard 0 Quarterfinals: Georgia 4, Pepperdine 2 Semifinals: Georgia 4, LSU 1 Final: Stanford 4, Georgia st Round: Georgia 4, Georgia State 2 2nd: Georgia 4, Washington 3 Round of 16: Georgia 4, Texas 0 Quarterfinals: Georgia 4, Baylor 3 Semifinals: Georgia 4, Ole Miss 1 Final: Georgia 4, UCLA st Round:Georgia 4, UALR 1 2nd Round: SMU 4, Georgia st Round: Georgia 4, Furman 0 2nd Round: Georgia 4, Georgia Tech 0 Round of 16: Georgia 4, California 0 Quarterfinals: Georgia 4, Duke 3 Semifinals: Georgia 4, SMU 0 Final: Georgia 4, Tennessee st Round: Georgia 4, Charleston So. 0 2nd Round: Georgia 4, South Carolina 2 Round of 16: Georgia 4, Texas A&M 1 Quarterfinals: Georgia 4, Pepperdine 1 Semifinals: Georgia 4, UCLA 2 Final: USC 4, Georgia st Round: South Florida 4, Georgia st Round: Georgia 4, Tenn. Tech 0 2nd Round: Georgia 4, Texas 2 Round of 16: Vanderbilt 4, Georgia st Round: Georgia 4, Winthrop 0 2nd Round: Georgia 4, Clemson 0 Round of 16: Georgia 4, LSU 0 Quarterfinals: Ole Miss 4, Georgia st Round: Georgia 4, Furman 0 2nd Round: Georgia 4, Georgia Tech 0 Round of 16: Georgia 4, Notre Dame 0 Quarterfinals: Georgia 4, Virginia 0 Semifinals: Georgia 4, Baylor 3 Final: Pepperdine 4, Georgia st Round: Georgia 4, Farleigh Dickson 0 2nd Round: Georgia 4, Auburn 0 Round of 16: Georgia 4, Florida 0 Quarterfinals: Georgia 4, UCLA 0 Semifinals: Georgia 4, Virginia 2 Final: Georgia 4, Illinois 0 Year Final Site Round Reached (Opponent) 1977 Athens, Ga. First Round (California) 1979 Athens, Ga. First Round (Pepperdine) 1980 Athens, Ga. First Round (Pepperdine) 1981 Athens, Ga. Semifinals (Stanford*) 1982 Athens, Ga. Semifinals (UCLA*) 1984 Athens, Ga. Semifinals (Stanford) 1985 Athens, Ga. Champion (UCLA) 1986 Athens, Ga. First Round (Pepperdine) 1987 Athens, Ga. Champion (UCLA) 1988 Athens, Ga. Quarterfinals (LSU) 1989 Athens, Ga. Finals (Stanford*) 1990 Indian Wells, Calif. Quarterfinals (USC) 1991 Athens, Ga. Finals (USC*) 1992 Athens, Ga. Quarterfinals (Notre Dame) 1993 Athens, Ga. Finals (USC*) 1994 South Bend, Ind. Quarterfinals (Mississippi State) 1995 Athens, Ga. Semifinals (Ole Miss) 1996 Athens, Ga. Semifinals (Stanford*) 1997 Los Angeles, Calif. Finals (Stanford*) 1998 Athens, Ga. Finals (Stanford*) 1999 Athens, Ga. Champion (UCLA) 2000 Athens, Ga. Second Round (SMU) 2001 Athens, Ga. Champion (Tennessee) 2002 College Station, Texas Finals (USC*) 2003 Athens, Ga. First Round (South Florida) 2004 Tulsa, Okla. Round of 16 (Vanderbilt) 2005 College Station, Texas Quarterfinals (Ole Miss) 2006 Palo Alto, Calif. Finals (Pepperdine*) 2007 Athens, Ga. Champion (Illinois) 2008 Tulsa, Okla. Champion (Texas) 2009 College Station, Texas Semifinals (Texas) 2010 Athens, Ga. Semifinals (Tennessee) 2011 Palo Alto, Calif. Semifinals (USC*) 2012 Athens, Ga. Quarterfinals (Pepperdine) 2013 Champaign, Ill. Semifinals (Virginia*) 2014 Athens, Ga. Round of 16 (North Carolina) 2015 Waco, Texas Quarterfinals (Oklahoma) * Eventual champion st Round: Georgia 4, Radford 0 2nd Round: Georgia 4, Auburn 0 Round of 16: Georgia 4, Pepperdine 1 Quarterfinals: Georgia 4, Ole Miss 0 Semifinals: Georgia 4, Virginia 3 Final: Georgia 4, Texas st Round: Georgia 4, South Carolina St. 0 2nd Round: Georgia 4, Virginia Tech 1 Round of 16: Georgia 4, Illinois 3 Quarterfinals: Texas 4, Georgia st Round: Georgia 4, UNC Greensboro 0 2nd Round: Georgia 4, Florida State 3 Round of 16: Georgia 4, Florida 2 Quarterfinals: Georgia 4, Oklahoma 0 Semifinals: Tennessee 4, Georgia st Round: Georgia 4, Samford 0 2nd Round: Georgia 4, Auburn 0 Round of 16: Georgia 4, Duke 1 Quarterfinals: Georgia 4, Tennessee 3 Semifinals: USC 4, Georgia st Round: Georgia 4, South Carolina St. 0 2nd Round: Georgia 4, Florida State 1 Round of 16: Georgia 4, North Carolina 1 Quarterfinals: Pepperdine 4, Georgia st Round: Georgia 4, Binghamton 0 2nd Round: Georgia 4, Northwestern 0 Round of 16: Georgia 4, Oklahoma 1 Quarterfinals: Georgia 4, Pepperdine 2 Semifinals: Virginia 4, Georgia st Round: Georgia 4, Jacksonville St. 0 2nd Round: Georgia 4, NC State 1 Round of 16: North Carolina 4, Georgia st Round: Georgia 4, Winthrop 0 2nd Round: Georgia 4, Florida State 0 Round of 16: Georgia 4, Texas 1 Quarterfinals: Oklahoma 4, Georgia 2 13 Finals appearances 4

5 SI NCAA CHAMPIONSHIPS The 1985 Georgia squad, led by seniors in the top four positions, was perhaps the most powerful team in school history. The Bulldogs were led by Mikael Pernfors, a native Swede who won a second straight NCAA singles championship with a victory over teammate and roommate George Bezecny. Bezecny played No. 2 for the Bulldogs while Allen Miller, a four-time All-American, was No. 3. The rest of the lineup consisted of Deane Frey at No. 4 singles, Philip Johnson at No. 5 and freshman Trey Carter at No. 6. Georgia finished the spring dual match schedule with a perfect 26-0 record. The 1987 Georgia tennis team completed the SEC hat trick by winning the indoor tournament, the conference round robin with a 9-0 record and the league outdoor championship. The lineup for the 1987 national champions consisted of the following players: Philip Johnson at No. 1 singles, Stephen Enochs at No. 2, John Boytim at No. 3 and Trey Carter at No. 4. Rounding out the Bulldogs lineup was Mike Morrison at No. 5 singles with T.J. Middleton at No. 6. Freshman Jim Childs saw significant action at No. 6 singles and was a regular at No. 3 doubles. The 1999 Bulldogs entered the newly formatted 64-team tournament as the No. 10 seed. Through the course of the regional and championship tournaments, the Bulldogs overcame seemingly insurmountable odds, fighting off three team match points to rise to the top. In the team final against top-ranked UCLA, Georgia opened with wins at Nos. 1 and 2 to claim the doubles point. The Bruins retaliated, proving that they would not go quietly. Falling into a tie in singles play, junior Joey Pitts swung the balance for the Bulldogs in a three-setter at the No. 4 position. The 2001 Bulldogs etched their name in the annals of Georgia tennis history and also the NCAA record books as just the second program to win the title, fail to reach the Round of 16 the following year and then claim another NCAA crown in a span of three years. UGA rode a 25-match winning streak through the tournament to capture the program s fourth national title. In the team final, Georgia clinched the doubles point, but lost the first set in three singles matches. However, with Georgia leading 3-1, Chad Carlson topped Adam Carey 6-1, 5-7, 6-2 to clinch the match for UGA. The 2007 Bulldogs completed their dream season by winning the program s fifth NCAA title on their home court. The crown was the final piece to a perfect puzzle as the squad captured every possible team title during its undefeated run, which also included the ITA Team Indoor National Championship and the SEC Tournament. Georgia was so dominant as a team that for the first time in team history, the Bulldogs never allowed an opponent more than two points in a match. Even then, UGA s opposition gained two points only twice, while suffering a total of 22 shutouts. The 2008 Bulldogs became the first squad to win back-to-back NCAA Championship titles since Stanford in Georgia officially captured the title by defeating Texas in the finals, 4-2. However, arguably the victory most indicative of the Bulldogs talent came in the semifinal round as Georgia topped undefeated, No. 1-ranked and heavily-favored Virginia, 4-3. Overshadowed by the run to the national championship, the Bulldogs also captured their third consecutive regular-season Southeastern Conference championship with a 10-1 record. Final: Georgia def. UCLA 5-1 No. 1 - Pernfors (UGA) d. Kures (UCLA) 6-2, 6-3 No. 2 - Bezecny (UGA) d. Klaparda (UCLA) 2-6, 6-4, 6-3 No. 3 - Miller (UGA) d. Pearce (UCLA) 6-4, 6-4 No. 4 - Basham (UCLA) d. Frey (UGA) 6-1, 7-5 No. 5 - Johnson (UGA) d. Greenwood (UCLA) 7-6, 3-6, 7-5 No. 6 - Carter (UGA) d. Diller (UCLA) 7-6, 3-6, 6-3 Doubles not played, match clinched. Final: Georgia def. UCLA 5-1 No. 1 - Johnson (UGA) d. Nahirney (UCLA) 4-6, 1-2, ret. No. 2 - Enochs (UGA) d. Farrow (UCLA) 7-6, 6-7, 6-2 No. 3 - Boytim (UGA) d. Trigueiro (UCLA) 6-3, 6-7, 7-6 No. 4 - Carter (UGA) d. Greenwood (UCLA) 7-6, 7-5 No. 5 - Galbraith (UCLA) d. Morrison (UGA) 6-2, 1-6, 6-1 No. 6 - Middleton (UGA) d. Garrow (UCLA) 4-6, 6-4, 6-3 Doubles not played, match clinched. Final: Georgia def. UCLA 4-3 No. 1 - Grinda (UCLA) d. Hemeda (UGA) 6-4,6-7(4),6-4 No. 2 - Fleishman (UCLA) d. Corrales (UGA) 6-3,6-3 No. 3 - Carlson (UGA) d. Cook (UCLA) 6-4,7-6(3) No. 4 - Pitts (UGA) d. Lee (UCLA) 5-7,6-3,6-2 No. 5 - Kramer (UCLA) d. Seri (UGA) 6-2,7-5 No. 6 - Lang (UGA) d. Rozpedski (UCLA) 2-6,7-6 (4),6-2 No. 1 - Hemeda/Seri (UGA) d. Grinda/Lee (UCLA) 8-6 No. 2 - Lang/Parrott (UGA) d. Cook/Kramer (UCLA) 8-6 No. 3 - Carlson/Corrales (UGA) vs. Rozpedski/Sands (UCLA), DNF Final: Georgia def. Tennessee, 4-1 No. 1 - M. Boeker (UGA) vs. Parsons (UT), 1-6, 6-4, 5-5, DNF No. 2 - Toledo (UT) d. Hodge (UGA) 6-7(4), 6-0, 6-4 No. 3 - Joseph (UGA) d. Handoyo (UT) 2-6, 6-3, 6-1 No. 4 - Carlson (UGA) d. Carey (UT) 6-1, 5-7, 6-2 No. 5 - Parrott (UGA) vs. Podbury (UT) 1-6, 7-6(2), 1-4, DNF No. 6 - Wagner (UGA) d. Rea (UT) 6-2, 6-1 No. 1 - M. Boeker/Parrott (UGA) vs Carey/Parsons (UT), DNF No. 2 - Hodge/Wagner (UGA) d. Handoyo/Podbury (UT), 8-6 No. 3 N. Boeker/Carlson (UGA) d. Rea/Toledo (UT), 8-3 Final: Georgia def. Illinois, 4-0 No. 1 - Isner (UGA) d. Anderson (ILL) 6-1, 7-6 (7-1) No. 2 - Flores (UGA) vs. Rowe (ILL) 6-7 (6-8), 2-4, DNF No. 3 - Helgeson (UGA) vs. Spicijaric (ILL) 7-6 (7-4), 4-2, DNF No. 4 - Omerzel (UGA) d. Gonzales (ILL) 7-6, 6-1 No. 5 - Schnugg (UGA) d. Jones (ILL) 6-4, 6-1 No. 6 - Hunt (UGA) vs. Heiser (ILL) 4-6, 6-3, 2-1, DNF No. 1 - Anderson/Rowe (ILL) d. Isner/Flores (UGA) 8-7 No. 2 - Helgeson/Omerzel (UGA) d. Davis/Gonzales (ILL) 8-6 No. 3 - Hunt/Schnugg (UGA) d. Jones/Spicijaric (ILL) 9-7 Final: Georgia def. Texas, 4-2 No. 1 - Helgeson (UGA) d. Kurtovsky (UT) 4-6, 6-2, 6-3 No. 2 - Schnugg (UGA) d. Damico (UT) 6-4, 6-2 No. 3 - Flores (UGA) d. Corrie (UT) 6-3, 1-6, 6-1 No. 4 - Hunt (UGA) d. Barriga (UT) 6-1, 6-4 No. 5 - Garrapiz (UGA) vs. Mihailovic (UT) 4-6, 6-2, 2-1, DNF No. 6 - Varela (UT) d. Vitulli (UGA) 6-4, 6-3 No. 1 - Hunt/Schnugg (UGA) vs. Corrie/Damico (UT) 8-7, DNF No. 2 - Barriga/Varela (UT) d. Flores/Garrapiz (UGA) 8-6 No. 3 - Kurtovsky/Zavala (UT) def. Helgeson/Vitulli (UGA) 8-3 5

6 COACHES Manuel Diaz Head Coach 28th Season Manuel Diaz is in his 28th season as head coach at Georgia, and he is one of only two coaches in program history at the varsity level. In his 27th season, the Bulldog letterwinner guided the team to the quarterfinals of the NCAA Championships while winning a league-leading 38th Southeastern Conference title and third in a row. Following the season, Diaz owns a career record of (.823). Diaz has led Georgia to six national championships - four NCAA titles (1999, 2001, 2007 and 2008) and two ITA National Indoor titles (2006 and 2007). He is one of only three active coaches with multiple NCAA titles. Since becoming head coach in 1988, Diaz has guided the Bulldogs to 26 SEC titles (17 regular season crowns and nine tournament championships). The Bulldogs have ended the season ranked in the top-five nationally 19 times under Diaz and finished in the top times and the top-25 in all 27 of his years as head coach. Diaz won the 600th match of his career in April 2014 vs. Alabama, becoming just the 10th NCAA Division-I coach to reach that milestone, and won his second ITA Southeast Region Coach of the Year award in three years and seventh overall. The 2015 team won Georgia s Faculty Athletics Representative Award as the UGA men s team with the highest grade point average. Georgia s 994 Academic Progress Rate (APR) score released in May 2015 was also tied for the highest among UGA men s teams and was third among SEC men s tennis programs. In 2013, his 25th season at the helm, Diaz led UGA into the semifinals of the NCAA Tournament for the sixth time in eight years. He coached his 700th Georgia match Diaz s Bulldogs swept both the SEC regular season and tournament crowns for the seventh time in school history. On March 10, 2013, Diaz moved into second place on the all-time SEC wins list behind only his mentor Dan Magill. In 2012, Diaz captured his 550th career win in a mid-season dual match vs. Vanderbilt, and was named the ITA Southeast Region Coach of the Year for the sixth time in his career. It was his 30th season overall coaching in Athens as he completed six seasons as an assistant. Diaz led the Bulldogs to their second consecutive NCAA Championship in The sixth NCAA team championship title in school history, Diaz has accounted for four of them as the head coach (1999, 2001, 2007, 2008), and he was also an assistant coach under Magill on both of the other winning squads (1985, 87). In addition to his four NCAA Championships, Diaz s teams have reached the NCAA finals seven other times: 1989, 1991, 1993, 1997, 1998, 2002, and In the last 10 seasons, Diaz has coached his team to a remarkable record that includes an undefeated 32-0 National Championship season in Georgia was also 30-1 in 2006, with its lone loss coming in the NCAA final. From April 23, 2005 to March 19, 2010, Diaz coached the Dogs to 71 straight wins at the Dan Magill Tennis Complex, the second-longest home winning streak in program history. Diaz led Georgia to 11 consecutive national top-five finishes from 1989 to 99, a feat no other school in the country can match. Diaz s Bulldogs won the program s first-ever triple crown of tennis in 2001, as the team won its second national title in three years, while Matias Boeker won the NCAA singles crown and teamed with Travis Parrott for the doubles championship. It was only the third time since 1977 that such a feat had been accomplished. Diaz was named SEC Coach of the Year in 1989, 1995, 2001, 2006 and Under Diaz, Georgia has seen 34 different players earn 84 All-America honors. With Diaz at the helm, five Bulldogs have been four-year All-Americans: Mike Sell ( ), Jamie Laschinger ( ), Steven Year Record Final Ranking SEC Finish NCAA Finish rd 1st Finals th 2nd Quarterfinals nd 1st Finals th 3rd Quarterfinalis nd T1st Finals th 2nd Quarterfinals nd 1st Semifinals th T1st Semifinals nd T1st Finals rd 2nd Finals st T1st Champions th 4th Round of st 1st Champion nd 1st Finals rd 10th Round of th 3rd Round of th 3rd Quarterfinals nd 1st Finals st 1st Champion st 1st Champion th T1st Quarterfinals th 3rd Semifinals th T1st Semifinals th 2nd Quarterfinals rd 1st Semifinals th 1st Round of th T1st Quarterfinals TBD 1st TBD The Manuel Diaz Era Baldas ( ), Bo Hodge ( ) and most recently John Isner ( ). Diaz has a proven track record at developing players for their careers in college and beyond. After he was a four-time All-American at UGA, Isner has gone on to achieve a top-10 ATP world ranking, and he is currently the highest-ranked male American tennis player. Diaz was involved in the development of 1984 and 1985 NCAA singles champion Mikael Pernfors, who also went on to reach an ATP top-10 ranking along with being a finalist in the 1986 French Open. Diaz also coached Grand Slam champions Murphy Jensen (French Open doubles) and T.J. Middleton (Wimbledon mixed doubles) in addition to numerous players who were in or around the ATP top-100 in the world. Under Diaz, Georgia has been among the most nationally-televised collegiate programs. Georgia made history in 2007, when its national championship win in Athens at the Dan Magill Tennis Complex became the first collegiate tennis match ever to be televised live. The production was carried on ESPNU. The Bulldogs have had a player in the NCAA singles finals in 1991, 1992, 1993, 2002 and 2007, and appeared in the team final in 1997, 1998, 1999, 2002, 2006, 2007 and 2008, all of which have been televised by ESPN. In 2005, Isner and Ruiz s doubles win was televised by The Tennis Channel. Georgia had a player in the team, singles and doubles finals in 2001, but those matches were not televised. Diaz is a respected and honored leader in collegiate tennis including being selected as the Wilson/ITA National Coach-of-the Year in 1995, 2001 and He was inducted into the State of Georgia Hall of Fame in the fall of For his outstanding contribution to tennis in his home country of Puerto Rico, Diaz was inducted into the Puerto Rican Tennis Hall of Fame in A native of San Juan, Puerto Rico, Diaz is married to the former Suzanne Rondeau of Toronto, Canada. They have three sons: Manuel III, Eric and Alex. 6

7 COACHES & SUPPORT STAFF Bo Hodge Associate Head Coach First Season Bo Hodge, a former Georgia All-American, is in his first year on the Georgia staff as associate head coach after serving in the same position at Oklahoma. He was officially hired at UGA by his former coach, Manuel Diaz, on June 19, Coaching with former Bulldog John Roddick, Hodge helped the Sooners achieve unprecedented success in his four seasons in Norman as OU compiled a record - it s best four-year mark in school history - and reached the NCAA final in both 2014 and In 2015, Hodge helped guide the Sooners to a program record with 29 wins, the school s first National Indoor title and the No. 1 seed in the NCAA Championship. In Hodge s four years, an Oklahoma player finished the season ranked in the top-15 nationally in singles five times, including this past season when Axel Alvarez ended the year ranked No. 1 and was also named the ITA National Player of the Year. The 2014 Oklahoma squad claimed a No. 1 national ranking for the first time in program history, and Hodge was voted ITA Central Region Assistant Coach of the Year at the end of the season. In addition to NCAA runner-up finishes in 2014 and 2015, Hodge and the Sooners won Big 12 titles in 2012, 2013, 2014 and An Athens native, Hodge served as a volunteer coach for the Bulldogs from During those three seasons, Georgia won three national championships (National Indoors in 2006, NCAA in 2007 and 2008) and back-to-back-to-back SEC championships with an 89-4 record. Hodge was hired to be Oklahoma s assistant in 2011 and was promoted to associate head coach following the 2013 season. He previously spent three years as an assistant coach at Alabama under Billy Pate from He helped the Crimson Tide earn a pair of berths to the NCAA Championship. Hodge also coaches the USTA Collegiate National Team, which is a high-level training program designed to help top American college players make a smooth transition to professional tennis. Players who have participated in the program include Hodge s former Georgia teammate and doubles partner John Isner, James Blake (Harvard), Bob Bryan (Stanford) and Mike Bryan (Stanford). As a player, Hodge became the sixth four-year All-American in Georgia s storied history. He is also one of seven four-year All-SEC honorees to play under Diaz. Hodge was a member of the 2001 NCAA championship team, and he played on three SEC championship teams (2001, 2002 and 2004). Hodge was ranked as high as No. 2 in the country in both his freshman and senior seasons, and he spent much of his college career ranked in the nation s top five in both singles and doubles. He reached the NCAA doubles final in 2004 with Isner. After completing his eligibility with the Bulldogs in 2004, Hodge played on the ATP Tour for two years before his coaching career began. He was as a coach and hitting partner with Venus and Serena Williams in and also worked with Mardy Fish in 2007 and Hodge graduated from Georgia in 2008 with a degree in speech communications. Before coming to UGA, he led Athens Academy to the 1998 Class A High School state title as a sophomore. He then moved to Boca Raton, Fla., to train under South African coach Stanford Boster while attending Boca Prep, where he also played on the basketball team. Hodge is married to the former Tatum Clowney of Greenville, S.C., and they have a daughter, Harper, born in October He is the son of Mark and Suzette Hodge of Athens, and his father is a UGA football letterman and was a tight end and offensive captain of the 1978 Bulldogs. Nick Papac Volunteer Coach First Season Nick Papac, who was a member of two NCAA runner-up teams as a player at the University of Oklahoma, was officially named volunteer coach for the Georgia men s tennis team on Aug. 26, Papac concluded his senior season for the Sooners in May He was also a member of the National Indoor Championship team in addition to Big 12 title teams from A native of Norman, Okla., Papac played in 15 dual matches at Fresno State and helped the Bulldogs win the 2011 WAC championship before he transferred to Oklahoma. While at Oklahoma, Papac played under the tutelage of UGA associate head coach Bo Hodge. Papac graduated from Oklahoma in May 2015 with a degree in administrative leadership. Georgia Men s Tennis Support Staff Payton Arnold...Sports Communications Matt Brachowski...Associate Athletics Director ITA Tennis Hall of Fame...John Frierson Leigh Ann Holland...Promotions Brandon Hummer...Strength & Conditioning Rachel Jones...Academics Tray Littlefield...Sports Communications Jeff Puryear...Utility/Tennis Complex Preston Smith...Sports Communications Lynn Steedman...Men s Tennis Ali Steiner...Event Management Conner Tidmus...Sports Medicine Chris Williamson...Facilities Coordinator 7

8 Meet the Walker Duncan Freshman 6-1 Atlanta, Ga. Laurel Springs (Freshman) Led the team with 14 singles wins in the fall... won three qualifying matches to earn a spot in the main draw of All-American Championships... recipient of the Coach Dan Magill Men s Tennis Scholarship... went 1-2 in singles and 0-2 in doubles at the MLK Invitational... Went 2-0 in singles at the ITA Kickoff Weekend... earned two victories in the first SEC action of his career... won the first six dual matches of his singles career... jumped out to a perfect 6-0 start in SEC singles play... downed No. 90 Jordi Arconada 6-1, 7-6 in UGA s win against No. 10 Texas A&M... picked up a pair of singles wins against Florida and Auburn to help Georgia clinch a share of the 2016 SEC crown... defeated Ole Miss Fabian Fallert 7-6 (7-1), 6-4 in Georgia s first SEC tournament match.» Singles Record» Doubles Record Overall: Overall: 6-6 Dual: 14-4 Dual: 0-0 SEC: 10-2 SEC: 0-0 Vs. Rank: 3-5 Vs. Rank: 0-0 Andy Martinez Sophomore 6-0 Atlanta, Ga. Woodward Academy (Sophomore) 4-2 in the fall in singles and 2-1 in doubles at the MLK Invitational in singles and 0-2 in doubles.» Singles Record» Doubles Record Overall: 5-3 Overall: 2-3 Dual: 0-0 Dual: 0-0 SEC: 0-0 SEC: 0-0 Vs. Rank: 0-0 Vs. Rank: 0-0 Wayne Montgomery Sophomore 5-10 Somerset West, South Africa Paul Roos Gimnasium (Sophomore) Defeated Oklahoma s No. 1-ranked Axel Alvarez in the Oracle/ITA Masters... became first outright repeat winner of the Southern Intercollegiate Championships since John Isner in 2004 and ranked preseason No recipient of the Leighton Ballew Men s Tennis Scholarship... earned Singles Champion honors at the MLK Invitational after going 3-0 in singles matches and 3-0 in doubles on the weekend... earned UGA s lone singles vicotry against UCLA... defeated No. 6 Christopher Eubanks in Georgia Tech meet... picked up two wins in doubles at the ITA Indoor Championships... ranked N0. 62 in doubles in the March 9 ITA rankings... named SEC player of the Week on March downed No. 45 Shane Vinsant 6-4, 6-3 in UGA s win against No. 10 Texas A&M... came back in dramatic fashion to beat Florida s No. 109 Alfredo Perez 2-6, 7-5, picked up a pair of ranked wins in singles against Ole Miss No. 51 Stefan Lindmark and Mississippi State s No. 60 Rishab Agarwal in Georgia s first two wins in the SEC tournament.» Singles Record» Doubles Record Overall: Overall: Dual: Dual: 10-7 SEC: 6-5 SEC: 6-2 Vs. Rank: 10-5 Vs. Rank: 2-1 Paul Oosterbaan Redshirt Sophomore 6-7 Kalamazoo, Mich. Hackett Catholic Central (Redshirt Sophomore) 7-2 singles mark in the fall... recipient of the Malon Clay Courts Tennis Scholarship... went 1-1 in singles and 3-0 in doubles matches at the MLK Invitational... defeated Georgia Tech s Cole Fiegel 6-3, 4-6, SEC Player of the Week on March 9... opened SEC play with a pair of wins over ranked opponents... downed Ohio State s No. 65 Chris Diaz 7-6 (7-4), 5-7, ranked No. 58 in doubles with Jan Zielinski on March won six-straight doubles matches from March downed Florida s No. 33 Elliot Orkin 6-4, 6-4 on April 8 and again in the SEC tournament on April 24, 7-6 (9-7), 6-4.» Singles Record» Doubles Record Overall: Overall: Dual: 14-7 Dual: 13-8 SEC: 7-2 SEC: 8-4 Vs. Rank: 7-3 Vs. Rank: 2-2 Alex Phillips Freshman 5-10 Peachtree City, Ga. Ogburn School Freshman Has yet to see action this season.» Singles Record» Doubles Record Overall: 0-0 Overall: 0-0 Dual: 0-0 Dual: 0-0 SEC: 0-0 SEC: 0-0 Vs. Rank: 0-0 Vs. Rank: 0-0 Emil Reinberg Freshman 6-2 Atlanta, Ga. Laurel Springs (Freshman) 8-6 singles record and 8-4 in doubles during the fall... went 2-1 in singles matches and 3-0 in doubles at the MLK Invitational... defeated Georgia Tech s Casey Kay 6-3, picked up one win at the ITA Indoor Championships... clinched the match in Georgia s win vs. ETSU with a 7-3, 7-5 win... ranked No. 62 in doubles in the March 9 ITA rankings... picked up a pair of SEC wins in singles vs. Tennessee & Kentucky... won six-straight matches from Feb. 28-April 10.» Singles Record» Doubles Record Overall: Overall: Dual: 9-3 Dual: 10-7 SEC: 5-0 SEC: 6-2 Vs. Rank: 0-2 Vs. Rank: 2-1 8

9 Meet the Austin Smith Senior 6-1 Cumming, Ga. Keystone (Senior) 10-6 singles record in the fall and 12-5 in doubles... earned an at-large berth in doubles to the USTA National Indoor Intercollegiate Championships... ranked preseason No. 1 in doubles with Ben Wagland and No. 17 in singles... recipient of the Bonneau Ansley Men s Tennis Scholarship... men s tennis representative on the UGA Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC)... went 2-1 in singles matches and 1-2 in doubles at the MLK Invitational... Earned SEC Player of the Week (Jan. 27) after clinching UGA s match against Memphis... went 2-0 against Georgia Tech in singles and doubles... picked up four wins (3 singles and 1 doubles) wins at the ITA Indoor Championships, including 3 wins against ranked opponents... currently ranked No. 5 in dual rankings with Wagland... picked up a pair of ranked wins in doubles against South Carolina and Ohio State... down Kentucky s No. 27 William Bushamuka 6-3, clinched three-straight matches in UGA s wins against No. 18 Kentucky, No. 10 Texas A&M and No. 44 LSU, defeating a ranked opponent in each match... part of a senior class that went a perfect 24-0 in career SEC home matches and led Georgia to four-straight SEC regular season crowns... rolled through the SEC tournament with three-straight victories against ranked opponents in singles and one in doubles action.» Singles Record» Doubles Record Overall: Overall: Dual: 19-4 Dual: 13-4 SEC: 10-2 SEC: 5-2 Vs. Rank: 18-9 Vs. Rank: 7-6 Ben Wagland Senior 6-3 Sydney, Australia Knox Grammar School (Senior) Ranked No. 1 in preseason doubles with Austin Smith, No. 111 in singles... earned an at-large berth in doubles to the USTA National Indoor Intercollegiate Championships... recipient of the John F. and Frances Mangan, Jr. Men s Tennis Scholarship... men s tennis representative on the UGA Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC)... went 3-0 in singles and 1-2 in doubles matches at the MLK Invitational... teamed with Austin Smith to defeat Georgia Tech s No. 36-ranked dual team... currently ranked No. 5 in dual rankings with Smith... picked up a pair of ranked wins in doubles against South Carolina and Ohio State... part of a senior class that went a perfect 24-0 in career SEC home matches and led Georgia to four-straight SEC regular season crowns... downed Mississippi State s No. 45 Vaughn Hunter/Mate Catura in the SEC tournament. Nick Wood Senior 5-10 Knoxville, Tenn. Knoxville Catholic (Senior) Recipient of the Rafael E. Jordan Men s Tennis Scholarship... returned from injury for a 6-2, 6-0 win against Georgia Tech s Daniel Yun... picked up two singles wins at the ITA Indoor Championships... went 2-0 in Georgia s SEC opening weekend... Defeated Ohio State s No. 46 Hekko Pollanen 6-2, 6-7, strung together six-straight singles wins from Feb. 28-April 3... part of a senior class that went a perfect 24-0 in career SEC home matches and led Georgia to four-straight SEC regular season crowns.» Singles Record» Doubles Record Overall: 21-8 Overall: 7-3 Dual: 12-2 Dual: 0-0 SEC: 7-0 SEC: 0-0 Vs. Rank: 1-2 Vs. Rank: 0-0 Jan Zielinski Freshman 5-10 Warsaw, Poland Sopocka Akademic Tenisowa (Freshman) Went 1-2 in singles matches and 3-0 in doubles matches at the MLK Invitational... defeated Georgia Tech s Andrew Li 7-6 (8-6), picked up the first SEC victory of his career in UGA s win vs. Alabama... ranked No. 58 in doubles with Paul Oosterbaan on March earned a pair of singles victories against Tenessee & Kentucky... picked up two singles wins in UGA s victories against No. 18 Kentucky and No. 10 Texas A&M... clinched Georgia s 5-2 win against No. 13 Florida... teamed up with Oosterbaan to defeat Mississippi State s Niclas Braun/Trevor Foshey in the SEC tournament.» Singles Record» Doubles Record Overall: 9-8 Overall: 16-8 Dual: 8-6 Dual: 13-8 SEC: 6-2 SEC: 8-4 Vs. Rank: 1-3 Vs. Rank: 2-2» Singles Record» Doubles Record Overall: 7-4 Overall: Dual: 0-1 Dual: 13-4 SEC: 0-0 SEC: 5-2 Vs. Rank: 1-0 Vs. Rank: 7-6 9

10 season Results #6 Georgia 4, #48 UC Santa Barbara 1 #28 Austin Smith (UGA) def. Morgan Mays (UCSB) 6-1, 6-4 #20 Wayne Montgomery (UGA) def. Nathan Eshmade (UCSB) 6-4, 6-3 N. Moreno de Alboran (UCSB) def. #40 Paul Oosterbaan (UGA) 7-5, 6-3 #105 Walker Duncan (UGA) def. Oliver Sec (UCSB) 7-5, 6-4 Jan Zielinski (UGA) vs. Cody Rakela (UCSB) 6-3, 2-3, unfinished Emil Reinberg (UGA) vs. Anders Holm (UCSB) 5-5, unfinished #10 Austin Smith/Ben Wagland (UGA) def. Nathan Eshmade/Miles Seemann (UCSB) 7-6 (8-6) Paul Oosterbaan/Jan Zielinski (UGA) def. N. Moreno de Alboran/Chase Masciorini (UCSB) 6-2 Anders Holm/Oliver Sec (UCSB) def. #45 Emil Reinberg/Wayne Montgomery (UGA) 6-2 #6 Georgia 4, #44 Memphis 1 1. #28 Austin Smith (UGA) def. #87 Andrew Watson (MEMPHIS) 5-7, 7-6 (4), Ryan Peniston (MEMPHIS) def. #20 Wayne Montgomery (UGA) 6-4, 7-6 (10) 3. #40 Paul Oosterbaan (UGA) def. Kai Lemke (MEMPHIS) 6-4, 6-7 (5), #105 Walker Duncan (UGA) def. Chris Patzanovsky (MEMPHIS) 4-6, 6-1, Jan Zielinski (UGA) vs. Felix Rauch (MEMPHIS) 6-4, 1-1, unfinished 6. Ben Wagland (UGA) vs. Shakeel Manji (MEMPHIS) 2-4, unfinished 1. #10 Austin Smith/Ben Wagland (UGA) def. Louis Asser/Kai Lemke (MEMPHIS) Felix Rauch/Ryan Peniston (MEMPHIS) def. Paul Oosterbaan/Jan Zielinski (UGA) #45 Emil Reinberg/Wayne Montgomery (UGA) def. Shakeel Manji/Andrew Watson (MEMPHIS) 7-5 #12 UCLA 6, #6 Georgia 1 1. Mackenzie McDonald (UCLA) def. #28 Austin Smith (UGA) 2-6, 6-4, #20 Wayne Montgomery (UGA) def. Gage Brymer (UCLA) 3-6, 6-3, #48 Martin Redlicki (UCLA) def. #40 Paul Oosterbaan (UGA) 7-6 (7-3), 7-6 (7-5) 4. Karue Sell (UCLA) def. Jan Zielinski (UGA) 7-6 (8-6), #98 Logan Staggs (UCLA) def. Emil Reinberg (UGA) 5-7, 6-2, Joseph Di Giulio (UCLA) def. Ben Wagland (UGA) 6-3, Mackenzie McDonald/Martin Redlicki (UCLA) def. #10 Austin Smith/Ben Wagland (UGA) Paul Oosterbaan/Jan Zielinski (UGA) def. Joseph Di Giulio/Karue Sell (UCLA) Gage Brymer/Austin Rapp (UCLA) def. #45 Wayne Montgomery/Emil Reinberg (UGA) 7-6 #11 Georgia 6, #44 Georgia Tech 1 1. #20 Wayne Montgomery (UGA) def. #6 Christopher Eubanks (GT) 3-6, 7-5, #28 Austin Smith (UGA) def. Carlos Benito (GT) 7-5, Jan Zielinski (UGA) def. Andrew Li (GT) 7-6 (8-6), #40 Paul Oosterbaan (UGA) def. Cole Fiegel (GT) 6-3, 4-6, Emil Reinberg (UGA) def. Casey Kay (GT) 6-3, #88 Nick Wood (UGA) def. Daniel Yun (GT) 6-2, #10 Austin Smith/Ben Wagland (UGA) def. #36 Michael Kay/Casey Kay (GT) Christopher Eubanks/Carlos Benito (GT) def. Paul Oosterbaan/Jan Zielinski (UGA) Nathan Rakitt/Andrew Li (GT) def. #45 Wayne Montgomery/Emil Reinberg (UGA) 6-4 #9 UCLA 4, #11 Georgia 3 #34 Mackenzie McDonald (UCLA) def. #22 Wayne Montgomery (UGA) 5-7, 6-2, 6-1 #40 Austin Smith (UGA) def. #80 Gage Brymer (UCLA) 6-3, 6-3 #37 Martin Redlicki (UCLA) def. Jan Zielinski (UGA) 4-6, 6-1, 6-4 Karue Sell (UCLA) def. #75 Paul Oosterbaan (UGA) 6-4, 6-3 Emil Reinberg (UGA) def. Logan Staggs (UCLA) 6-4, 7-5 Nick Wood (UGA) def. Austin Rapp (UCLA) 3-6, 6-2, 6-1 #12 Mackenzie McDonald/Martin Redlicki (UCLA) def. #13 Austin Smith/Ben Wagland (UGA) 6-3 Paul Oosterbaan/Jan Zielinski (UGA) def. Joseph Di Giulio/Karue Sell (UCLA) 6-4 Gage Brymer/Austin Rapp (UCLA) def. Wayne Montgomery/Emil Reinberg (UGA) 6-3 #11 Georgia 4, #15 Columbia 3 Hadavi, Shawn (COL) def. #22 Wayne Montgomery (UGA) 6-4, 6-3 #40 Austin Smith (UGA) def. #108 Pham, Victor (COL) 7-6 (7-0), 6-2 #124 Rubin, Eric (COL) def. Jan Zielinski (UGA) 7-6 (7-3), 6-3 #75 Paul Oosterbaan (UGA) def. Vermeer, Mike (COL) 6-1, 4-6, 6-2 Pham, Richard (COL) def. Emil Reinberg (UGA) 6-4, 3-6, 6-4 Nick Wood (UGA) def. Wang, Timothy (COL) 4-6, 6-1, 6-3 #13 Austin Smith/Ben Wagland (UGA) def. #15 Hadavi, Shawn/Pham, Richard (COL) 6-1 #20 Vermeer, Mike/Rolski, Michal (COL) vs. Paul Oosterbaan/Jan Zielinski (UGA) 5-4, unfinished #43 Wayne Montgomery/Emil Reinberg (UGA) def. Rubin, Eric/Grant, Christopher (COL) 6-2 #14 Texas Tech 4, #11 Georgia 2 #22 Wayne Montgomery (UGA) vs. #11 Felipe Soares (TT) 6-7, 7-6, 1-2, unfinished #40 Austin Smith (UGA) def. #10 Hugo Dojas (TT) 6-3, 6-2 #61 Alex Sendegeya (TT) def. Jan Zielinski (UGA) 6-4, 6-2 Jolan Cailleau (TT) def. #75 Paul Oosterbaan (UGA) 6-1, 6-4 Connor Curry (TT) def. Emil Reinberg (UGA) 7-6, 7-5 Bjorn Thomson (TT) def. Nick Wood (UGA) 7-6, 7-5 #13 Austin Smith/Ben Wagland (UGA) def. Hugo Dojas/Felipe Soares (TT) 6-4 Paul Oosterbaan/Jan Zielinski (UGA) vs. #45 Alex Sendegeya/Bjorn Thomson (TT) 5-6, unfinished #43 Emil Reinberg/Wayne Montgomery (UGA) def. Jolan Cailleau/Connor Curry (TT) 6-3 #16 Georgia 6, East Tennessee State 1 1. David Biosca (ETSU) def. #21 Wayne Montgomery (UGA) 2-6, 7-6 (7-4), 1-0 (10-7) 2. Paul Oosterbaan (UGA) def. Rogerio Ribeiro (ETSU) 6-4, 5-7, 1-0 (10-8) 3. Jan Zielinski (UGA) def. Diego Nunez (ETSU) 6-3, Nick Wood (UGA) def. Sebastian Yllera (ETSU) 5-7, 7-5, 1-0 (10-8) 5. #104 Walker Duncan (UGA) def. Robert Herrera (ETSU) 6-4, Emil Reinberg (UGA) def. Ismael Merino (ETSU) 6-3, #5 Ben Wagland/Austin Smith (UGA) def. Ismael Merino/Diego Nunez (ETSU) Rogerio Ribeiro/David Biosca (ETSU) def. Paul Oosterbaan/Jan Zielinski (UGA) Wayne Montgomery/Emil Reinberg (UGA) def. Sebastian Yllera/Robert Herrera (ETSU)

11 season Results #16 Georgia 5, #50 Mississippi State 2 #44 Mate Cutura (MSU) def. #27 Austin Smith (UGA) 1-6, 6-4, 6-3 #21 Wayne Montgomery (UGA) def. Nuno Borges (MSU) 6-4, 7-5 Paul Oosterbaan (UGA) def. #74 Rishab Agarwal (MSU) 6-2, 6-4 Niclas Braun (MSU) def. Jan Zielinski (UGA) 2-6, 6-4, 6-3 #104 Walker Duncan (UGA) def. Trevor Foshey (MSU) 7-5, 6-2 Nick Wood (UGA) def. Strahinja Rakic (MSU) 6-1, 7-6 (7-3) #5 Austin Smith/Ben Wagland (UGA) def. Nuno Borges/Niclas Braun (MSU) 6-4 Mate Cutura/Trevor Foshey (MSU) def. Paul Oosterbaan/Jan Zielinski (UGA) 6-3 Emil Reinberg/Wayne Montgomery (UGA) def. Rishab Agarwal/Vaughn Hunter (MSU) 6-4 #16 Georgia 6, #49 Alabama 1 1. #27 Austin Smith (UGA) def. #118 Korey Lovett (ALA) 6-0, #93 Mazen Osama (ALA) def. #21 Wayne Montgomery (UGA) 6-2, 1-6, Paul Oosterbaan (UGA) def. #121 B. O Shaughnessey (ALA) 6-0, Jan Zielinski (UGA) def. Grayson Goldin (ALA) 6-3, #104 Walker Duncan (UGA) def. Spencer Richey (ALA) 6-7 (3-7), 6-4, 1-0 (10-5) 6. Nick Wood (UGA) def. Matthew Rossouw (ALA) 6-4, 2-6, #5 Ben Wagland/Austin Smith (UGA) def. Korey Lovett/Mazen Osama (ALA) Paul Oosterbaan/Jan Zielinski (UGA) def. B. O Shaughnessey/Grayson Goldin (ALA) Emil Reinberg/Wayne Montgomery (UGA) vs. Spencer Richey/Matthew Rossouw (ALA) 5-5, unfinished #17 Georgia 5, #56 Vanderbilt 2 Singles competition 1. #27 Austin Smith (UGA) def. #54 Daniel Valent (VAN) 6-2, Cameron Klinger (VAN) def. #25 Wayne Montgomery (UGA) 6-4, Rhys Johnson (VAN) def. Paul Oosterbaan (UGA) 6-1, 3-6, #120 Walker Duncan (UGA) def. Baker Newman (VAN) 6-2, 4-6, Nick Wood (UGA) def. Kris Yee (VAN) 7-5, Emil Reinberg (UGA) def. Alex Ross (VAN) 6-3, 2-6, 1-0(10-6) Doubles competition 1. Rhys Johnson/Cameron Klinger (VAN) def. #5 Ben Wagland/Austin Smith (UGA) Paul Oosterbaan/Jan Zielinski (UGA) def. Pen Binet/Daniel Valent (VAN) #62 Emil Reinberg/Wayne Montgomery (UGA) def. #76 Tate Allwardt/Baker Newman (VAN) 6-4 #19 Georgia 7, #62 South Carolina 0 1. #27 Austin Smith (UGA) d. Gabriel Friedrich(SC) 6-4, #25 Wayne Montgomery (UGA) d. Andrew Schafer (SC) 1-6, 6-2, #120 Walker Duncan (UGA) d. Harrison O Keefe (SC) 6-7 (5), 7-6 (2), 1-0 (7) 4. Paul Oosterbaan (UGA) d. Alex Fennell (SC) 7-5, 7-6 (2) 5. Jan Zielinski (UGA) d. Thomas Mayronne (SC) 6-2, Emil Reinberg (UGA) d, Yancy Dennis (SC) 6-4, #5 Smith/Wagland (UGA) d. #54 O Keefe/Fennell (SC) Oosterbaan/Zielinski (UGA) d. Friedrich/Swank (SC) Mayronne/Dennis (SC) vs. #62 Montgomery/Reinberg (UGA) 5-5 (susp.) #19 Georgia 4, #4 Ohio State 2 Singles competition 1. #5 Mikael Torpegaard (OSU) def. #27 Austin Smith (UGA) 6-4, #25 Wayne Montgomery (UGA) def. #24 Hugo Di Feo (OSU) 7-5, Paul Oosterbaan (UGA) def. #65 Chris Diaz (OSU) 7-6 (7-4), 5-7, Relf Steinbach (OSU) def. #120 Walker Duncan (UGA) 5-7, 6-2, Nick Wood (UGA) def. #46 Hekko Pollanen (OSU) 6-2, 6-7, Jan Zielinski (UGA) vs. Martin Joyce (OSU) 4-6, 7-6, 6-6, unfinished Doubles competition 1. #5 Ben Wagland/Austin Smith (UGA) def. #11 Mikael Torpegaard/Hekko Pollanen (OSU) Paul Oosterbaan/Jan Zielinski (UGA) def. #13 Relf Steinbach/Martin Joyce (OSU) #62 Wayne Montgomery/Emil Reinberg (UGA) vs. Matt Mendez/Hugo Di Feo (OSU) 4-3, unfinished #11 Georgia 6, #18 Kentucky 1 1. #35 Austin Smith (UGA) def. #27 William Bushamuka (UK) 6-3, Ryotaro Matsumura (UK) def. #34 Wayne Montgomery (UGA) 6-3, Paul Oosterbaan (UGA) def. Nils Ellefsen (UK) 7-5, #120 Walker Duncan (UGA) def. Trey Yates (UK) 7-6 (7-4), Jan Zielinski (UGA) def. Enzo Wallart (UK) 5-7, 6-3, Nick Wood (UGA) def. Jake Stefanik (UK) 6-4, #5 Austin Smith/Ben Wagland (UGA) def. Enzo Wallart/Nils Ellefsen (UK) #58 Paul Oosterbaan/Jan Zielinski (UGA) def. William Bushamuka/Gus Benson (UK) Wayne Montgomery/Emil Reinberg (UGA) vs. Ryotaro Matsumura/Austin Hussey (UK) 5-4, unfinished #11 Georgia 5, Tennessee 2 1. #35 Austin Smith (UGA) def. Igor Smelyanski (UT-M) 6-2, Luis Valero (UT-M) def. #34 Wayne Montgomery (UGA) 1-6, 6-4, 1-0 (10-3) 3. Timo Stodder (UT-M) def. Paul Oosterbaan (UGA) 6-4, 7-6 (7-1) 4. #120 Walker Duncan (UGA) def. Srdjan Jakovljevic (UT-M) 6-1, Jan Zielinski (UGA) def. Jack Schipanski (UT-M) 6-3, Emil Reinberg (UGA) def. Jack Heslin (UT-M) 6-1, #5 Austin Smith/Ben Wagland (UGA) vs. #20 Jack Schipanski/Luis Valero (UT-M) 4-3, unfinished 2. #58 Paul Oosterbaan/Jan Zielinski (UGA) def. Jack Heslin/Preston Touliatos (UT-M) Wayne Montgomery/Emil Reinberg (UGA) def. Srdjan Jakovljevic/Timo Stodder (UT-M) 6-4 #7 Georgia 4, #10 Texas A&M 1 1. #35 Austin Smith (UGA) def. #18 Arthur Rinderknech (TAMU) 2-6, 7-5, #34 Wayne Montgomery (UGA) def. #45 Shane Vinsant (TAMU) 6-4, #120 Walker Duncan (UGA) def. #90 Jordi Arconada (TAMU) 6-1, 7-6 (8-6) 4. Jackson Withrow (TAMU) vs. Paul Oosterbaan (UGA) 5-7, 6-4, 2-4, unfinished 5. Jan Zielinski (UGA) def. AJ Catanzariti (TAMU) 6-4, 2-6, Max Lunkin (TAMU) vs. Nick Wood (UGA) 6-7 (2-7), 7-5, 0-0, unfinished 1. Jackson Withrow/Aleksandre Bakshi (TAMU) vs. #5 Austin Smith/Ben Wagland (UGA) 4-4, unfinished 2. Shane Vinsant/Harrison Adams (TAMU) def. #58 Paul Oosterbaan/Jan Zielinski (UGA) Max Lunkin/Arthur Rinderknech (TAMU) def. Wayne Montgomery/Emil Reinberg (UGA)

12 season Results #7 Georgia 4, #44 LSU 3 1. #35 Austin Smith (UGA) def. #69 Jordan Daigle (LSU) 4-6, 6-1, Justin Butsch (LSU) def. #34 Wayne Montgomery (UGA) 6-2, 5-7, Gabor Csonka (LSU) def. #120 Walker Duncan (UGA) 1-6, 6-4, 7-6 (7-5) 4. Paul Oosterbaan (UGA) def. Boris Arias (LSU) 6-1, Nick Wood (UGA) def. Simon Freund (LSU) 6-3, Emil Reinberg (UGA) def. Andrew Korinek (LSU) 6-2, #10 Jordan Daigle/Boris Arias (LSU) vs. #5 Austin Smith/Ben Wagland (UGA) 6-6 (6-3), unfinished 2. Justin Butsch/Tam Trinh (LSU) def. #58 Paul Oosterbaan/Jan Zielinski (UGA) Gabor Csonka/Andrew Korinek (LSU) def. Wayne Montgomery/Emil Reinberg (UGA) 7-6 (7-5) #7 Georgia 5, #14 Florida 2 1. #17 Diego Hidalgo (FLA) def. #22 Austin Smith (UGA) 6-4, #34 Wayne Montgomery (UGA) def. #109 Alfredo Perez (FLA) 2-6, 7-5, Paul Oosterbaan (UGA) def. #33 Elliott Orkin (FLA) 6-4, #111 Walker Duncan (UGA) def. Gordon Watson (FLA) 3-6, 6-1, Jan Zielinski (UGA) def. #84 Chase Perez-Blanco (FLA) 3-6, 7-5, Nick Wood (UGA) def. Joshua Wardell (FLA) 6-2, #3 Diego Hidalgo/Gordon Watson (FLA) def. #4 Austin Smith/Ben Wagland (UGA) #58 Maxx Lipman/Elliott Orkin (FLA) def. Paul Oosterbaan/Jan Zielinski (UGA) Emil Reinberg/Wayne Montgomery (UGA) def. Alfredo Perez/Chase Perez-Blanco (FLA) 7-6 (0-4) #7 Georgia 4, #59 Auburn 0 1. #22 Austin Smith (UGA) def. #88 Marko Krickovic (AU) 6-3, #34 Wayne Montgomery (UGA) vs. Max Hinnisdaels (AU) 7-6 (8-6), 2-3, unfinished 3. #111 Walker Duncan (UGA) def. Conner Huertas (AU) 6-4, Jan Zielinski (UGA) vs. Dante Saleh (AU) 6-7 (4-7), 5-3, unfinished 5. Nick Wood (UGA) vs. Brandon Laubser (AU) 7-6 (7-3), 3-1, unfinished 6. Emil Reinberg (UGA) def. Edward Nguyen (AU) 6-4, #4 Austin Smith/Ben Wagland (UGA) def. Marko Krickovic/Max Hinnisdaels (AU) Paul Oosterbaan/Jan Zielinski (UGA) def. Olle Thestrup/Brandon Laubser (AU) Wayne Montgomery/Emil Reinberg (UGA) vs. Conner Huertas/Dante Saleh (AU) 4-5, unfinished #6 Georgia 4, #32 Ole Miss 0 1. #24 Austin Smith (UGA) def. #51 Gustav Hansson (OM) 7-5, #34 Wayne Montgomery (UGA) def. #66 Stefan Lindmark (OM) 7-6 (7-2), Filip Kraljevic (OM) vs. #91 Paul Oosterbaan (UGA) 7-6 (7-2), 4-5, unfinished 4. #116 Walker Duncan (UGA) def. Grey Hamilton (OM) 6-2, Fabian Fallert (OM) vs. Jan Zielinski (UGA) 7-5, 3-6, 0-1, unfinished 6. Zvonimir Babic (OM) vs. Nick Wood (UGA) 6-4, 3-6, 2-3, unfinished 1. #24 Filip Kraljevic/Zvonimir Babic (OM) vs. #7 Austin Smith/Ben Wagland (UGA) 6-5, unfinished 2. Paul Oosterbaan/Jan Zielinski (UGA) def. Fabian Fallert/Grey Hamilton (OM) Wayne Montgomery/Emil Reinberg (UGA) def. Gustav Hansson/Stefan Lindmark (OM) 6-3 #6 (1) Georgia 4, #25 (4) Mississippi State 1 1. #17 Austin Smith (UGA) def. #33 Mate Cutura (MSU) 6-0, #35 Wayne Montgomery (UGA) def. #60 Rishab Agarwal (MSU) 7-6 (7-1), #98 Nuno Borges (MSU) def. #96 Paul Oosterbaan (UGA) 6-4, Walker Duncan (UGA) vs. Niclas Braun (MSU) 6-7 (6-8), 6-4, 0-3, unfinished 5. Nick Wood (UGA) vs. Strahinja Rakic (MSU) 6-7 (4-7), 6-1, 3-2, unfinished 6. Emil Reinberg (UGA) def. Luka Sucevic (MSU) 6-1, #7 Austin Smith/Ben Wagland (UGA) def. #45 Vaughn Hunter/Mate Cutura (MSU) Paul Oosterbaan/Jan Zielinski (UGA) def. Niclas Braun/Trevor Foshey (MSU) Wayne Montgomery/Emil Reinberg (UGA) vs. Rishab Agarwal/Nuno Borges (MSU) 5-3, unfinished #6 Georgia 5, #12 Arkansas 2 #24 Austin Smith (UGA) def. #26 Mike Redlicki (AR) 7-6 (7-1), 6-3 #34 Wayne Montgomery (UGA) def. #76 Jose Salazar (AR) 3-6, 7-5, 1-0 (11-9) #91 Paul Oosterbaan (UGA) def. Santiago Munoz (AR) 7-6 (7-2), 6-1 Giammarco Micolani (AR) def. Walker Duncan (UGA) 6-3, 7-5 Adam Sanjurjo (AR) def. Jan Zielinski (UGA) 6-3, 7-5 Nick Wood (UGA) def. Juan Marino (AR) 7-5, #23 Giammarco Micolani/Mike Redlicki (AR) vs. #7 Austin Smith/Ben Wagland (UGA) 4-5, unfinished 2. Paul Oosterbaan/Jan Zielinski (UGA) def. Jose Salazar/Adam Sanjurjo (AR) Wayne Montgomery/Emil Reinberg (UGA) def. Santiago Munoz/Johan den Toom (AR) 6-4 #6 (1) Georgia 4, #29 (9) Ole Miss 0 1. #17 Austin Smith (UGA) def. #47 Gustav Hansson (UM) 6-2, #35 Wayne Montgomery (UGA) def. #51 Stefan Lindmark (UM) 6-4, #96 Paul Oosterbaan (UGA) def. Grey Hamilton (UM) 6-2, Walker Duncan (UGA) def. Fabian Fallert (UM) 7-6 (7-1), Jan Zielinski (UGA) vs. Zvonimir Babic (UM) 2-6, 1-1, unfinished 6. Nick Wood (UGA) vs. Vinod Gowda (UM) 3-1, unfinished 1. #28 Fabian Fallert/Grey Hamilton (UM) vs. #7 Austin Smith/Ben Wagland (UGA) no result 2. Zvonimir Babic/Ricardo Jorge (UM) vs. Paul Oosterbaan/Jan Zielinski (UGA) no result 3. Gustav Hansson/Stefan Lindmark (UM) vs. Wayne Montgomery/Emil Reinberg (UGA) no result #11 (2) Florida 4, #6 (1) Georgia 2 1. #17 Austin Smith (UGA) def. #11 Diego Hidalgo (UF) 6-4, #83 Alfredo Perez (UF) def. #35 Wayne Montgomery (UGA) 6-3, #96 Paul Oosterbaan (UGA) def. #36 Elliott Orkin (UF) 7-6 (9-7), #123 Chase Perez-Blanco (UF) def. Walker Duncan (UGA) 6-2, 7-6 (7-4) 5. Gordon Watson (UF) def. Nick Wood (UGA) 3-6, 7-5, Emil Reinberg (UGA) vs. McClain Kessler (UF) 6-1, 6-7 (3-7), 3-3, unfinished 1. #7 Austin Smith/Ben Wagland (UGA) vs. #1 Gordon Watson/Diego Hidalgo (UF) 4-5, unfinished 2. #68 Maxx Lipman/Elliott Orkin (UF) def. Paul Oosterbaan/Jan Zielinski (UGA) Chase Perez-Blanco/Alfredo Perez (UF) def. Wayne Montgomery/Emil Reinberg (UGA)

13 Dogs Off To Strong SEC Start March 7, 2016 By John Frierson UGAAA Staff Writer Paul Oosterbaan dominated Sunday, as did Austin Smith. Combined, they lost a total of five games in their singles matches. Lopsided individual wins are always nice, and the sophomore Oosterbaan has seldom played better than he did Sunday, but more important for the Georgia men s tennis team was a second straight strong performance to start SEC play. The No. 16-ranked Bulldogs opened league play at the Dan Magill Tennis Complex on Friday, beating Mississippi State 5-2 (clinching at 4-0). Georgia followed that up Sunday afternoon with a 6-1 win over Alabama (again clinching at 4-0). For a Georgia squad that s gotten off to a slow start to the dual-match season, in part due to injuries to two key players in Nick Wood and Duncan Walker, to start SEC play off in convincing fashion is a big deal. I think it was good to come out, first weekend of the SEC, and make a little statement, Oosterbaan said. The Dogs entered the weekend a very un-georgia 5-3 in dual matches they ve lost twice to UCLA, now ranked No. 6, and once to 10th-ranked Texas Tech; all three coming indoors but the team is now 7-3, 2-0 in the conference, and gathering momentum and confidence when it matters most. We were definitely disappointed with how the indoors ended up for us, so we ve been looking forward to the SEC season starting and getting outdoors, Smith said. I think this was about as good as it could go.... I think things are looking up a lot for us. Georgia coach Manuel Diaz said Sunday s match was probably our best match of the year, most complete match of the year. That started with doubles and good play on all three courts, something that hasn t happened all the time. Today I thought we brought it and our focus was where we needed it to be, Diaz said, and I was really, really pleased. After Georgia took the doubles point it seemed like a race to see who could win first between the senior Smith at No. 1 singles and Oosterbaan at No. 3. Both took their strong form in doubles and carried it over to singles, and both won their opening sets 6-0. Redshirt-sophomore Paul Oosterbaan helped the Bulldogs to their 39th overall SEC title in 2016 playing at the No. 3 court in singles and No. 2 court in doubles. On Friday I got off to the same really good start, won the first set and then things just kind of slipped away. I maybe gave a point away here and there and today I was just really focused on taking care of my serve, he said. I knew with the way I was seeing my returns, if I just took care of my serve and won my service games, I would get my chances on his serve. I think I only faced one or two break points on my serve the whole match. It was the freshman from Poland, Jan Zielinski, that clinched the match for Georgia, at No. 4 singles, beating Grayson Goldin, 6-3, 7-5. Zielinski took the first set with an ace on set point, screaming Allez! Come on! afterward a multilingual celebration. Zielinski found himself down 5-3 in the second set and looking at a third, which is when he regrouped and regained the upper hand. He won the last four games, closing out the match with a booming forehand win. Both weekend matches were played all the way out despite Georgia earning the clinching point. Completing matches can help with rankings but, in the cases of Wood and Duncan, it can give them added match and court time as they try to regain top form after missing some time. Duncan and Wood provided the third and fourth point Friday, both winning in straight sets, and Sunday, after the Dogs win was secured, they closed out their matches. Their Tide opponents were getting pushed around the court and compounding their difficulties with errors, which only fed the Bulldogs attacks. For the 6-foot- 7, hard-serving Oosterbaan, it was all systems go. He bombed aces, he volleyed well, he showed off his touch with short balls against an opponent often pushed behind the baseline. I played pretty well I m glad to be outside, said Oosterbaan, whose game, and especially serve, benefit from the fast courts outside, compared to slower conditions indoors. Oosterbaan edged his teammate Smith by giving up one fewer game, beating Alabama s Becker O Shaughnessy 6-0, 6-2, but the No. 27-ranked Smith got off the court first, routing Korey Lovett 6-0, 6-3. Georgia s biggest hitter off the ground, Smith was making a racket on court 1 with his powerful groundstrokes. He attacked at every opportunity and never let Lovett get into the match. Having lost his concentration against Auburn s Mate Cutura on Friday, falling 1-6, 6-4, 6-3, Smith said he wasn t about to let the same thing happen Sunday. 13

14 Bulldogs Delivered Big Against Buckeyes March 21, 2016 By John Frierson UGAAA Staff Writer Manuel Diaz s emphatic fist pump after Nick Wood won his match at No. 5 singles told you something about the No. 19-ranked Georgia men s tennis team s meeting with No. 4 Ohio State on Sunday afternoon. When you re Manny Diaz and you ve been coaching the Dogs for nearly 30 years, and coached four national championship teams and been an assistant for two more, you don t throw the big fist pump in a run-of-the-mill regular-season match. Sunday was different -- playing the Buckeyes was a chance for a statement win, Diaz later said -- and Georgia s 4-2 victory at the Dan Magill Tennis Complex was loaded with a lot more meeting than just capturing the Bulldogs sixth straight victory and pushing their record to It was an affirmation for a squad that is starting to play its best tennis. To win in this kind of environment, in this atmosphere, with all these fans and with a big match on the line, that always helps with the confidence, Wood said. Georgia isn t a home underdog very often, but the Buckeyes came in a stout 16-1, their only loss coming a month before to North Carolina (now ranked No. 2) in the quarterfinals of the ITA National Team Indoor Championships. The Buckeyes are national championship contenders and they played like this was a heavyweight match, as well. But the Bulldogs were a little better, and the difference might have been the large and lively home crowd. Adding to the Big Match feel of the day was the crowd of about 1,000 inside Henry Feild Stadium, many of them huddling together for warmth on an increasingly cool and windy day. The intensity of the matches, the energy of the crowd, it was Georgia tennis at its finest. It all felt like an NCAA semifinal match, not a mid-march non-conference test. A few minutes after Diaz s fist pump, Paul Oosterbaan was serving for his match at No. 3 singles. Meanwhile, at No. 6, Jan Zielinski was in a third-set tiebreaker. The players clearly felt that Oosterbaan would finish things first because they gathered at the edge of court three, ready to storm. They didn t have to wait too long. Oosterbaan, a sophomore that mostly played No. 6 last season, quickly went out in front and closed out the three-setter with an overhead winner off the court, clinching a 4-2 Dogs victory and sparking what felt like a postseason celebration. It s usually easy to spot the 6-foot-7 Oosterbaan, but not when most of his team is jumping all over him. Sophomore Wayne Mongtomery defeated 24th-ranked Hugo Di Feo 7-5, 6-3 in UGA s 4-2 win against No. 4 Ohio State on March 20. likely jump up closer to No. 10 when the next rankings are released Tuesday. Georgia has lost just three times in dual match play, twice to UCLA (now ranked No. 5) in a short span between Jan. 30 and Feb. 12, and once to No. 8 Texas Tech. When those three losses happened, freshman Walker Duncan, who lost a three-setter at No. 4 Sunday, was out with an injury, while Wood, the senior, missed one of the matches and was just coming back from a wrist injury in the other two. Georgia is a different team now, fully stocked, and its results show it. What has also hurt the Dogs ranking is their SEC schedule to date. Georgia, 4-0 in SEC play, is the only team in the league without a loss in conference play. But the only SEC team currently ranked that Georgia has beaten is No. 25 Mississippi State. Before Sunday Georgia was winning matches, but not getting a rankings boost from them. Rankings are done by computer and award (or subtract) points for each result. I knew our team was coming on and I knew that we were getting healthier, obviously, after the start of the indoor season, but to really be able to do it [against an elite team]..., Diaz said. This, honestly, was a lot of pressure on our guys. It was basically one of the few opportunities left to really make a statement, to have a statement win, to beat a program that is in the top four or five in the nation. Right now, as it stands, that was our last opportunity to make a mark for ourselves. And the Bulldogs did. That matters for their confidence and it matters when it comes to the rankings and the creation of the NCAA tournament bracket. Georgia likely won t get a crack at another top-5 win, but still on the schedule are several top-25 opponents: No. 17 Kentucky; at No. 9 Texas A&M, the SEC s highest ranked team; No. 24 Florida; and a regular-season ending road trip at No. 13 Arkansas and at No. 22 Ole Miss. We ve all been looking forward to this match since the schedule came out and we knew it was going to be a big one, Oosterbaan said. We ve been working hard and it s good to have the results pay off, and I think everyone s real excited with the win today. Zielinski was up in the tiebreaker at No. 6, so if Oosterbaan hadn t gotten it done when he did, the celebratory pack of Bulldogs may have been charging after the freshman on court six. Georgia s No. 19 ranking is a bit deceiving, and the Dogs, with a top-5 win, will 14

15 Freshmen Push Dogs Past Gators April 8, 2016 By John Frierson UGAAA Staff Writer Running to his right, Jan Zielinski whipped a forehand cross-court passing shot for a winner. Then came a scream that echoed throughout the Dan Magill Tennis Complex and beyond. It was more than just a wicked winner beyond the reach of Florida s Chase Perez-Blanco at the net. It won Zielinski the match, an exclamation point on a big come-from-behind win for the Georgia freshman, and it clinched the seventh-ranked Bulldogs 5-2 win over the No. 14 Gators. After dropping the first set a common occurrence for the Bulldogs (15-3, 9-0 SEC) on Friday Zielinski survived three second-set match points for Perez-Blanco to force a third set. He fought, he persisted and he prevailed, just like the Bulldogs. What can I say? I made it and I won, Zielinski said. Florida (12-5, 7-2) came out strong and won the doubles point, and then took the first set in four of the six singles matches. If the Bulldogs were going to remain undefeated and atop the SEC standings, where the Gators were nipping at their heels, they would have to rally to do so. They did. Senior Nick Wood quickly took care of business at No. 6 singles, dropping only four games. Then sophomore Paul Oosterbaan put Georgia in front, 2-1, with a 6-4, 6-4 win at No. 3. Soon after, Florida tied the match when Diego Hidalgo closed out Georgia s Austin Smith, 6-4, 6-4, at No. 1 singles. At that point Georgia was going to need three-set success from two of the three remaining matches for the Dogs 11 straight win: Zielinski at No. 5, fellow freshman Walker Duncan at No. 4 or sophomore Wayne Montgomery at No. 2 singles. They won all three. We lost four first sets after losing that doubles point [and] that usually does the trick, coach Manuel Diaz said. Our guys, they have bought into the culture that we re just tough and we re going to fight. That s part of what makes a great team. We had a good number of lettermen here and they made a lot of our former players, a lot of lettermen, proud. Duncan and Zielinski both dropped their opening sets 6-3, while Montgomery was, in his words, getting crushed in his opening set, dropping the first five games to Florida s Alfredo Perez before losing 6-2. Funny thing about sports though, especially tennis, is that things do change. Often very quickly. A bad first set in singles isn t good, of course, but there s still time to turn things around if you re willing to keep grinding and dig deep, both physically and mentally. Duncan, Zielinski and Montgomery did just that. All three mounted feisty rallies, in front of a large, feisty crowd. Between the intense tennis and the atmosphere, Friday s match felt like the postseason had already begun. After dropping his opening set to Gordon Watson, Duncan came alive. Going into the second set, [associate head coach Bo Hodge] and I were talking and I needed to step up my intensity a little bit and make some more balls and put the pressure on [Watson], Duncan said. Freshman Walker Duncan leads all Georgia freshman with 14 dual wins and a 10-2 mark in SEC play. He did, rolling through the second set, 6-1. But then Watson got an early break in the third and led 2-0. Duncan eventually broke back on a backhand cross-court winner on break point to draw even at 3-all. Duncan won four of the final five games in the set to complete a 3-6, 6-1, 6-4 win. I stayed true, stayed tough and that s what matters in the end, he said. That s what all of us did. On a day (and night) of impressive comebacks, Zielinski s was probably the most impressive because he fought off the three match points in the second set, two on his own serve and one at 40-all with Perez-Blanco serving for the match up 5-4. I was just thinking about next point, next point, next point, he said. After trailing 5-3 in the second set, Zielinski wound up winning four straight games to take the set and force a third. He then got an early break and led 3-0 in the third before Perez-Blanco answered with three straight games to draw even. At 4-all, Zielinski held serve, putting pressure on Perez-Blanco to hold to stay in the match. Zielinski wasn t budging, winning the first three points and then sealing the victory, for himself and the Bulldogs, with the running forehand winner. It s a great feeling to clinch the match against Florida, such a big team and such a great team, he said. I m really happy that I could help my team today after a pretty bad doubles. I m really happy. In the end, with Georgia s victory already in hand, Montgomery s 2-6, 7-5, 6-3 win was just the cherry on top. But it was a meaningful one for him. Over the final two sets he played with as much fire and emotion as he ever has, almost willing himself to success. That definitely helped, letting things out at times, he said. Diaz was certainly impressed with what he saw from Montgomery. He was very angry at himself for just not being able to execute as well as he wanted to that first set, so for him to bring it up another notch, take it up another notch, he had to risk and played big tennis there to finish, Diaz said. He was hitting the ball clean, harder than he has all year that s a statement for him. Four of Georgia s five wins came from freshmen and sophomores. Another freshman, Emil Reinberg, teamed with Montgomery to win a tiebreaker at No. 3 doubles. This is a young team that s still maturing and still improving, and showing a lot of fight and composure in the big moments. 15

16 Freshmen Driving Force In Men s Tennis Triumphs April 20, 2016 By Natalie Roe Red and Black A trio of seniors has become the backbone of the roster for the Georgia s men s tennis team. But a trio of lowerclassmen has become the roots. Earlier in the season, senior Nick Wood sustained a wrist injury that held him back from competing. The blow to the roster was followed by Georgia s dynamic duo of seniors Austin Smith and Ben Wagland, who had previously sat at No. 1, battling with little success on court one for doubles. The team called on the youngest members of the team. They answered. It s been really tremendous to see our young players mature this spring, head coach Manny Diaz said. It s been very rewarding to see our young players, our underclassmen, play such a big role in singles and doubles this year. The trio of freshmen is made up of No. 116th-ranked Walker Duncan, Emil Reinberg and Jan Zielinski. Together, the three hold an 18-2 record in singles play versus Southeastern Conference opponents. Like roots, you ll find Duncan, Reinberg and Zielinski on the bottom courts or the pit. Despite having a grounding connotation, Wayne Montgomery views the pit as the added support that elevates Georgia s roster. If we get the doubles point, that s a major advantage, Montgomery said. But we also know we have strong singles, especially in the pit [at courts] four, five and six. We know the guys are tough and they won t lose to anyone. The balanced roster oddly resembles the national championship rosters of 1971 and 1972, the same rosters that Diaz appeared on. I guess I hadn t thought about it, Diaz said. My freshman year we had three good freshmen. We have three really good freshmen this year. So that kind of carried us for four years and hopefully these guys will do the same. We also had three seniors [like this team]. Regardless of seemingly equivalent rosters, Georgia still must complete its regular season before thinking about a national title. The team hits the road to close the regular season with a perfect 10-0 SEC record. Play begins in Arkansas on Friday followed by the final face off against Ole Miss on Sunday. Georgia also earned a share of its 30th SEC regular season title last Sunday, which is the fourth consecutive title for Smith, Wood and Wagland. Although they have seen four straight titles, they have never entered the SEC tournament undefeated. Hopefully our No. 1 seed turns out to be right, Smith said. Georgia Men s Tennis Finishes SEC Play With Undefeated Conference Record April 22, 2016 By Allie Bailey Red and Black The Georgia men s tennis team ended its Southeastern Conference play with a resounding finish. The Bulldogs had not only defeated Ole Miss 4-0 on April 17 but also made their way through an entire SEC regular season without losing a single match. This has been the 15th time in the history of Georgia men s tennis where the team completed the SEC regular season with a perfect record. This year the official record was 12-0 in league play. Due to the Bulldogs success, Georgia has obtained the No. 1 seed in the SEC tournament that is scheduled to begin on April 20 and end on April 24 in Columbia, South Carolina. Georgia will be competing for its 40th win as they play it out at the Carolina Tennis Center, the venue for this year s tournament. As we have done all season, our guys just came out and played a really good match against a great opponent in Ole Miss, head coach Manuel Diaz said. I can t say enough about what this team has accomplished all year long. To not only win this league, but to finish unbeaten, is a very difficult thing to do. Meanwhile against Ole Miss, Georgia s Wayne Montgomery and Emil Reinberg had captured the first doubles win of the day as they defeated Gustav Hansson and Stefan Lindmark 6-3. Bulldogs Paul Oosterbaan and Jan Zielinski also proved relentless on the doubles front as they took Fabian Fallert and Grey Hamilton down 6-4 in No. 2 doubles. As soon as Georgia had taken the doubles point, the team was just three more matches away from a win against Ole Miss and a perfect regular season in SEC play. The Bulldogs made this happen as Walker Duncan won his match 6-2, 6-3 and Austin Smith remained victorious with a 7-5, 6-1 win against Hansson. I especially cannot say enough about Austin Smith and how valuable he has been to this team, Diaz said. I don t know of anyone more impactful than Austin. Montgomery had taken the last win in a strong finish as he defeated No. 66 Lindmark 7-6, 6-2 in No. 2 singles. Now that Georgia has completed its last regular season SEC match, they now face the SEC tournament. The tournament has scheduled to release the bracket for the event later on Sunday, April 17. I look forward to seeing what we can accomplish in the SEC tournament, Diaz said. As the backbone, Smith holds the top spot for Georgia at No. 24. The senior also weighs in on the ranks with partner, Wagland, as the No. 4th-ranked doubles pair in the nation. Smith has also earned individual honors as the SEC Player of the Week twice this season. While the No. 1 seed for the SEC tournament stays in the back of the team s mind, Diaz disregards rankings and age on the court. He said he believes it s more important to take it one match at a time starting with Arkansas. 16

17 Slow Start Led To Perfect Finish April 21, 2016 By John Frierson UGAAA Staff Writer Coming off the court in Charlottesville, Va., on Feb. 14, having just lost in the consolation draw at the ITA National Men s Team Indoor Championships, the outlook for Georgia s spring, and the Bulldogs chances for a fourth straight Southeastern Conference regular-season title, seemed uncertain. Unless you re coach Manuel Diaz. The Bulldogs, then ranked No. 11, had just fallen to No. 14 Texas Tech, dropping Georgia s record to 4-3. In fact, the Dogs had split their previous six matches, not something that happens often at one of college tennis elite programs. I think the biggest thing is that we didn t panic, Diaz said Tuesday, two days after the Bulldogs (18-3) won their 14th consecutive match and completed a perfect 12-0 run to the program s 30th SEC regular-season title. The Bulldogs haven t swept their way to the SEC regular-season title since 2007, when an all-time great Georgia squad went It takes more than not panicking to win 14 in a row and to sweep a conference that this week has six teams ranked in the ITA top 25, led by the Dogs at No. 6. We got healthier and I think our guys, the message all along was that we knew we were better than we d been up to that point, Diaz said. We knew the outdoor part of the season was ahead of us and we looked at that as a new start and an opportunity for us to still achieve the number one goal for us, which is always to win the SEC regular season and go undefeated in doing so. That s the number one goal each year and that was in front of us. While being 4-3 looked bad, keep in mind that two of the losses were to UCLA (now ranked No. 2 in the country), and Texas Tech, now No. 9, has been hanging around the top 10 all spring. Bad losses these were certainly not, nor was the Georgia lineup in late January and early February the same one that has played so well in March and April. Senior Nick Wood and freshman Walker Duncan, both key components of the Dogs singles lineup, had missed some matches due to injuries and took a little while to return to top form. Now take that improved health and add in a lot of maturation. Georgia has three seniors in Wood, Austin Smith and Ben Wagland, key contributors all, but this is fundamentally a young team. Smith plays No. 1 singles and doubles (with Wagland) and Wood plays No. 5 or 6 singles. It s all first- and second-year Dogs after that. Sophomore Wayne Montgomery plays No. 2 singles and No. 3 doubles (with freshman Emil Reinberg), redshirt sophomore Paul Oosterbaan plays No. 3 singles and No. 2 doubles (with freshman Jan Zielinski, a January enrollee), Duncan plays No. 4 singles and Zielinski plays No. 5 or 6. Diaz said the development of this team and the maturation of the young players has been critical. It boils down to getting each guy to their next step, he said. All of our guys had a lot of growth they had to achieve -- they had to come along. And they did. Senior Nick Wood played a large part in Georgia s 39th SEC title run. The Knoxville, Tennessee native ripped off seven-straight victories in conference play. and enjoying every moment; we re all fighting for each other. Every match is pivotal when you re trying for an undefeated conference slate or riding a long win streak, but two, both at the Dan Magill Tennis Complex, stand out from the past two months. The first was a 4-2 defeat of then-no. 4 Ohio State, an eye-catching non-conference victory, and the second was a comefrom-behind 5-2 win over Florida, then No. 14 in the country and presently No. 11. Georgia won the doubles point and never looked to be in trouble against the Buckeyes (now ranked No. 5), playing strong throughout en route to their only win over a top-five team in the regular season. Of course knowing Ohio State was its only shot at a standout victory on the national stage, especially since Georgia was ranked No. 19 at the time, added a lot of pressure, Diaz said. The Dogs handled the pressure and the Buckeyes. It was a different pressure Georgia faced a few weeks later, when Florida jumped on the Bulldogs early. The Gators won the doubles point and four of the six first sets in singles, putting Georgia s backs firmly against the wall. Ask Duncan what about playing collegiate tennis has surprised him the most and here s his answer: Just how much a match can swing. Duncan was a big part of that swing against Florida, rallying to win in three sets, as did Zielinski and Montgomery, to go along with straight-set wins by Oosterbaan and Wood. We still all talk about it and how cool that was, having the crowd pull us through like that, Duncan said of beating Florida in front a fiery crowd of more than 1,600. For Smith, it has been a final spring with the Dogs that so far couldn t have gone any better or been any more enjoyable. It means a lot, he said. To be able to [go 12-0 in the SEC] and to be the first team to do it since the 07 team gives me a lot of confidence and gives all the guys a lot of confidence going into the SEC tournament and the NCAAs, where it really counts. It s cool what we ve done, but that s only one step in the direction we want to go. The next step begins Friday when the top-seeded Bulldogs begin play in the SEC tournament at South Carolina. Georgia will play the winner of Thursday s match between eighth-seeded Alabama and ninth-seeded Ole Miss. Once we got a couple of matches under our belt we started rolling and picking up steam, Smith said, and we ve really done of good job of working together 17

18 Manuel Diaz Shows No Signs Of Slowing Down As Georgia Men s Tennis Head Coach March 31, 2016 By Natalie Roe Red & Black Before Georgia men s tennis coach Manuel Diaz could ever partake in the game of tennis, he had to climb a wall. Prior to his 34 years at the University of Georgia as an assistant and head coach, there was a cement wall in San Juan, Puerto Rico, he had to face. On one side was a baseball diamond, where a young Diaz pursued his dream of becoming a professional baseball player. On the other side was a tennis club and ultimately four NCAA championships, 26 SEC titles and 627 wins prior to the start of this season. Georgia head men s tennis coach Manuel Diaz is in his 28th year at the helm. Diaz has guided the Bulldogs to four NCAA championships and 39 SEC titles. I remember to this day scaling this massive wall, Diaz said. It must have been a 10-foot cement and brick wall, and I somehow found a way to the top of that big wall, because we didn t even know how to get into this club. I got on the perch and saw them hitting, and they saw us. I told my dad, I want to learn how to do that. I want to learn how to play. But in his first season as a full-time assistant, Diaz witnessed an individual national championship from the doubles pairing of Allen Miller and Ola Malmqvist. Diaz s third season saw Georgia win its first team national championship. The Bulldogs also had individuals take home the singles and doubles titles in that 1985 season. Diaz became infatuated with tennis at first sight. Diaz was late to the game at 13 years old, and the sport became the source of his frustration. Eager to win but relying on his baseball skills, Diaz tried to hit the ball as hard as he could. He found little success. I was like a bull in a china shop for about two or three years, Diaz said. The fact that I was so soundly getting beaten by people that I thought were not as good an athlete as me made me more determined to stick to it. Intent on being the best, Diaz moved up the ranks. By 18, he had beaten everyone in his tennis club, except one player, who he defeated later in life. His success in San Juan caught the eye of a legend. Dan Magill, whose name now bestows Georgia s tennis complex, offered Diaz a scholarship to play for the Bulldogs. Diaz accepted and began his first steps into becoming a giant in the college tennis world. A lot of it I owe to Coach Magill and being here under his tutelage, Diaz said. He made me a more structured player. While Welby [Van Horn, a San Juan tennis pro] was very technically oriented, Magill was more tactfully sound and made me a more disciplined player. As a player, Diaz was part of four SEC championship teams. The sport was growing in Athens, and he wanted more. Citing those four years as the best of his life, Diaz stuck around after a shoulder injury. With Magill cultivating a new tennis culture, Diaz became Magill s first student assistant. After doing that for a year, Diaz went back to Puerto Rico where he spent time as a tennis instructor. Diaz had three meals a day from five-star hotels, lived free in a condo on the beach and was close to his family, who he hadn t seen much after he moved to Athens. He was living every 25-year-old s dream. But Diaz wasn t happy. About this time, Magill came calling again. Every week, Magill phoned his former player with an offer to coach at Georgia. Every week, Diaz declined. What he did is he planted a seed, Diaz said. He built a dream for me. He said, Be my assistant for a few years and you can take over the program. Enough long-distance phone calls watered that seed, and eventually Diaz packed up again. By the time Diaz returned to Athens in 1982, Georgia had gone from a perennial contender to a middle-of-the-pack team. Georgia was still in search of its first national championship. The Bulldogs won another team championship in In fall 1988, Magill stepped away and entrusted the program to Diaz. When Diaz took over, Georgia was already one of the best teams in the country. How could anyone make Georgia even better than it was under Magill? To Diaz, it was just another wall to climb. In his first six seasons at the helm, Georgia finished runner-up four times. It wasn t until 1999 that he claimed a team national title. The Bulldogs then won three of the next nine team titles. In his first 20 years on the job, Diaz won four team national titles. In Magill s 34 years on the job, he won two. Diaz has been part of all six Georgia national titles. He s accomplished more than anyone, but in his 28th season as head coach, he keeps raising the standard for college coaches. He doesn t boast about his rings. Instead, he keeps building and sculpting players with hopes they bring Georgia another trophy to put on the wall. I think he s the best coach in the country, senior Nick Wood said. He knows how to handle everyone in a different way, and he keeps you calm on the court. Diaz knows how each person needs to be treated to get the best out of them, and it has become his best asset. This ability is what transformed John Isner into the highest-ranked American men s tennis player. He wanted to be an ESPN sportscaster, Diaz said. He never thought he would turn out to be the No. 9 or 10 player in the world. It was my job to open his eyes to what was out there for him. As this season heads toward the NCAA championships in May, Diaz is molding another contender. The team is No. 7 in the country and is coming off wins over then-no. 18 Kentucky and No. 4 Ohio State. Diaz could ve passed all this up long ago. He could ve stayed on the beaches of Puerto Rico, content with living a five-star lifestyle as a tennis instructor. He could ve pursued his baseball dreams, as Puerto Rican standouts Roberto Clemente and Roberto Alomar did before him. Instead, he chose to climb a wall, one that he continues to scale today. I feel like I have plenty of years left, Diaz said. As long as I m healthy, energetic and passionate, this is something I can do for a long time. 18

19 Competitive Fire Pushes Wayne Montgomery, UGA Tennis To Top Of The SEC April 23, 2016 By Connor Riley Athens Banner Herald Georgia tennis coach Manny Diaz needed to talk to Wayne Montgomery. The night before, the South African sophomore struggled, as he has from time to time during the 2016 season, in match against one of the country s best players in Florida s Alfredo Perez. Montgomery s name has been synonymous with success. He was one of the top junior players in the world. Last year, Montgomery was the SEC Freshman of the Year and made First Team All-SEC. He began his sophomore season as the team s highest-rated single s player. But this year, things have gotten harder for Montgomery. His 12 losses this year surpassed his eight from his freshman campaign. He had knee surgery in December and that led to a slow start to the season He briefly played as the team s No. 1 singles player in February, but dropped three of his five matches, with a fourth going unfinished. He was moved back to the No. 2 line, where he spent most of his freshman season. After beginning the season as the No. 16 ranked player in the country per the Oracle/ITA rankings, he s slipped to No. 35, the lowest of his career. Sometimes he struggles getting up for matches he knows he can or should win, Diaz said. He took some early losses and maybe that affected his confidence just a little bit. Montgomery s match against Perez looked like another loss. He dropped the first set 6-2 and was down 4-2 in the second. That seems to be my routine this season, losing the first set and getting crushed, Montgomery said. With the match on the verge of ending, Montgomery won a few points to stay competitive. With each small victory, Montgomery became more animated with his celebrations as the match turned into a battle. Montgomery treated every moment like a championship point, letting out a fist pump or a scream with each small victory. His competitiveness turned a rout into a contested match. Montgomery s competitiveness captivated the Georgia crowd, as they cheered as loud as he did. The sophomore later said he would ve lost had it not been for the 1,681 fans who filled the Dan Magill Tennis Complex that night. He won the second set 7-5. The match went to a third set was because of Montgomery s defining trait: his competitiveness. I hate losing, but nobody likes losing, Montgomery said. I just try to do whatever I can to get the W. Building the fire Wayne Montgomery is listed at 5-foot-10 in the team s media guide, paling to the likes of teammates like 6-foot-7 Paul Oosterbaan and 6-foot-3 Ben Wagland. The lack of size makes his competitive edge more necessary. He brought a lot of fight and great assets, Diaz said. His competitive spirit caught Diaz s eye as a recruit, along with his junior resume. Montgomery was ranked as high as the No. 7 junior player in the word, reaching the quarterfinals of both the U.S. Open and Australian Boys Singles championships at the 16 years old. Like many top amateur players, Montgomery weighed the decision of turning pro or going to college. College is definitely the way to go. You get a degree, Montgomery, a pre-business major, said. You get to play Division-1 athletics. College was the way to go for us. Stoking the flames When Montgomery steps off the tennis courts, the competitive switch can t be turned off. Sophomore Wayne Montgomery in action in UGA s win against No. 14 Florida on April 8. out in activities off the court. He s more intense off the court to be honest, Reinberg said. Montgomery downplayed some of the antics that come with the video and board games, but he makes no effort to hide his emotions on the court. When he wins a point, he lets everyone know. When he gets emotional out there, he s playing at his best, senior Austin Smith said. When we see that on the other courts, it just lifts up a little bit. If we see that he s coming on strong then that let s the rest of us know that he s fighting his heart out. While Montgomery s match against Perez captivated fans, it also had an effect on his teammates. Four of the six Georgia singles players dropped their first set against Florida. As the sophomore took his match to a third set, three other Bulldogs came from behind to win their matches. You try to just focus on your own court, Zielinski said. But when Wayne is doing things it s hard to ignore him. Controlling the fire Despite the trying season, Montgomery s demeanor hasn t changed. He rarely gets frustrated and doesn t resort to racket smashing or swearing at the sky, even when he s trailing. We want competitive players who aren t satisfied and Wayne isn t a guy who has a bad temper. He has very good self control out there, Diaz said. It s definitely hard but just being in those situations a lot, you know how to control yourself, Montgomery said. You know when to let it out and when you should keep it. It s really all about managing your emotions. In his match against Perez, Montgomery won a pivotal point to go up 4-2 in the third set. He wanted to send a message to let Perez and the 1,600-plus fans at the Dan Magill Tennis Complex. He let them know the match was his and his opponent was finished. So he slid his hand back and forth near the neck area. From a distance, the gesture looked like a throat slash. Diaz had a few people tell him about the gesture the next morning, and Diaz wanted to find out what happened. It wasn t a sinister gesture, Montgomery said, but rather another display of his competitive streak. I was just letting him [Perez] know it s over. He s done, Montgomery explained to Diaz. Montgomery defeated Perez, earning the Bulldogs final point in a 5-2 win over their rivals. The win all-but-locked up the team s SEC regular season crown, which they clinched two days later. After the win, Montgomery was mobbed by his teammates, as they displayed the emotion Montgomery constantly shows on the court. For every big match this year not only has he been up for it but he s won it as well, Diaz said. Every important match that we ve needed him to win, he s come through for the team. The trait fuels him in other aspects of life. The sophomore shares a dorm room with three teammates Walker Duncan, Emil Reinberg and Jan Zielinski and they say he s just as fiery in that arena. We re always playing video games like FIFA or Board Games like [Settlers of] Catan. He doesn t like to lose, Duncan said. You can see the fire in him on the court, and that definitely comes 19