April 9, 2010
OXFORD, Miss. - The No. 37 Auburn men's tennis team opened its road weekend at Ole Miss Friday and fell to the No. 17 Rebels, 5-2, at the Palmer/Salloum Tennis Center.
"We had our chances in a couple matches today, but couldn't convert," head coach Eric Shore said. "Ole Miss is a very good team and we couldn't match up today."
The loss puts Auburn at 8-10 overall and 4-5 in the SEC, while Ole Miss stands at 14-5 and 5-4 in the conference.
Freshmen Tim Hewitt and Lucas Lopasso started the afternoon with a win at No. 3 doubles. The pair defeated Harry Fowler and Adrian Forberg Skogeng by a score of 8-3. Ole Miss followed with a win at No. 2 doubles as Tucker Vorster and Jonas Lutjen picked up an 8-0 victory over Andreas Mies and Michel Monteiro.
The doubles point came down to the outcome at No. 1 singles where Auburn's Tim Puetz and Alex Stamchev took on twin brothers Marcel and Chris Thiemann. The tenth-ranked Tiger duo found themselves down 6-4 at one point, but rallied to go up 7-6. The two teams battled to an 8-8 tie and the Rebel pair came away with the 9-8 (1) win to give Ole Miss the doubles point.
The Rebels put another point on the scoreboard when Fowler topped freshman Oliver Strecker at No. 5 singles in two sets (6-4, 6-3). The 76th-ranked Vorster gave the Rebels the 3-0 advantage after he recorded a two-set (6-4, 6-2) win over Auburn's Hewitt at No. 2 singles.
The Tigers put a point on the board when No. 107 Alex Stamchev defeated Chris Thiemann in two sets, 6-4, 6-4. With the win, Stamchev has won four-straight matches and hasn't been defeated in 10-consecutive matches. During the streak, he has recorded seven SEC victories and has a pair of unfinished matches. Stamchev is 10-4 overall and 7-1 in conference play.
"Alex has been solid all year for us," Shore said. "He puts in a solid outing every time he is on the court and that is what this team needs."
The Rebels sealed the team win when Forberg Skogeng tallied a two-set (6-2, 6-2) win over senior Nick Maurillo at No. 6 singles.
Puetz improved his singles record to 10-5 overall and 4-4 in the conference after the 20th-ranked player picked up a two-set (6-4, 6-3) win over No. 68 Marcel Thiemann at No. 1 singles. The two teams concluded competition with No. 4 singles as Auburn's Lopasso and the Rebels' Lutjen battled to a three-set decision. Lutjen took the first set 6-3, but Lopasso responded with a 6-2 victory in set two. Lutjen, however, finished the match with a 6-2 win in the final set.
The Tigers continue their road trip as they head to Starkville for a match against No. 55 Mississippi State Sunday at 1 p.m.
At Ole Miss
Singles
1. No. 20 Tim Puetz (Auburn) def. No. 68 Marcel Thiemann (Ole Miss); 6-4, 6-3
2. No. 76 Tucker Vorster (Ole Miss) def. Tim Hewitt (Auburn); 6-4, 6-2
3. No. 107 Alex Stamchev (Auburn) def. Chris Thiemann (Ole Miss); 6-4, 6-4
4. Jonas Lutjen (Ole Miss) def. Lucas Lopasso (Auburn); 6-3, 2-6, 6-2
5. Harry Fowler (Ole Miss) def. Oliver Strecker (Auburn); 6-4, 6-3
6. Adrian Forberg Skogeng (Ole Miss) def. Nick Maurillo (Auburn); 6-2, 6-2
Doubles
1. Thiemann/Thiemann (Ole Miss) def. No. 10 Puetz/Stamchev (Auburn); 9-8 (1)
2. Vorster/Lutjen (Ole Miss) def. Mies/Monteiro (Auburn); 8-0
3. Hewitt/Lopasso (Auburn) def. Fowler/Forberg Skogeng (Ole Miss); 8-3
Match Notes
Ole Miss 14-5, 5-4 SEC, National ranking #17
Auburn 8-10, 4-5 SEC, National ranking #37
Order of finish: Doubles (3,2,1); Singles (5,2,3,6,1,5)