May 11, 2007
LOS ANGELES - Playing in its first NCAA tournament since 1999, the 66th-ranked UNLV men's tennis team simply could not match the firepower of its ninth-ranked host, falling 4-0 to UCLA during Friday's first round at the Los Angeles Tennis Center.
The Mountain West Conference champion Rebels finished their season at 13-14 overall while the Pac-10 champion Bruins improved to 20-3 by upping their all-time record vs. UNLV to 14-0.
UCLA took a 1-0 lead after winning both completed doubles matches. At the top spot, the nation's 14th-ranked duo of Philipp Gruendler and Benjamin Kohlloeffel eased by Elliot Wronski and Brett Hunter 8-2. Chris Surapol and Haythem Abid then clinched the team point with an 8-6 win over Jonathan Hooper and Wesley Burrows on court two. The third match was then halted with UCLA leading 7-4.
UNLV, which had not lost a singles point in its last four matches, quickly lost three vs. the Bruins. Gruendler was finished first with a 6-2, 6-1 victory over Burrows at No. 3. Fourth-ranked Kohlloeffel then got past 60th-ranked Wronski by the same score at the top position. Finally, Mathieu Dehaine finished off David Campbell 6-2, 6-2 at No. 5. The other three matches were then halted with two Rebel freshmen, Slavko Bijelica and Luca Barlocchi, leading their respective matches after taking the first sets.
"It was a great experience to play a very good UCLA team today on their home courts," head coach Owen Hambrook said. "Everyone competed hard but they were just too good. I think the guys will take a lot from this and use it in the future.
"This was the last match for our two seniors, Brett Hunter and Jonathan Hooper, and we'll miss them. They got to be part of a magical season with us winning the conference and getting to experience the NCAA tournament. Today we played with two freshmen and two sophomores in the singles lineup, which bodes well for the future of this program. We're already looking forward to next season."
UNLV hopes the season is not over for one of its players as Wronski now stands as the first alternate to the NCAA Singles Championship, which will be played at the end of the month in Athens, Ga.
UNLV MEN'S TENNIS RESULTSNCAA CHAMPIONSHIPS FIRST ROUND#9 UCLA 4, #66 UNLV 0At Los Angeles Tennis Center
DOUBLES: (UCLA EARNS ONE TEAM POINT)1. #14 Gruendler/Kohlloeffel (UCLA) def. Wronski/Hunter (UNLV) 8-22. Surapol/Abid (UCLA) def. Jonathan Hooper/Burrows (UNLV) 8-63. Dehaine/Jeremy Drean (UCLA) led Campbell/Bijelica (UNLV) 7-4 (DNF)
SINGLES: (UCLA EARNS THREE TEAM POINTS)1. #4 Benjamin Kohlloeffel (UCLA) def. #60 Elliot Wronski (UNLV) 6-2, 6-12. Slavko Bijelica (UNLV) led #28 Haythem Abid (UCLA) 6-3, 3-5 (DNF)3. Philipp Gruendler (UCLA) def. Wesley Burrows (UNLV) 6-2, 6-14. #47 Chris Surapol (UCLA) led Brett Hunter (UNLV) 6-0, 5-3 (DNF)5. Mathieu Dehaine (UCLA) def. David Campbell (UNLV) 6-2, 6-26. Luca Barlocchi (UNLV) led Michael Look (UCLA) 6-4, 2-4 (DNF)
