Gators get wanted rematch against Tar Heels in On Campus Fall Invitational
There isn’t another team the University of Florida wishes it could play in the Gold Bracket semifinals at the USTA Tennis On Campus Fall Invitational than the University of North Carolina.
Ever since a crushing 25-23 loss to UNC-Chapel Hill back in April in the semifinals of the TOC National Championships, the Gators have had the Tar Heels on their minds.
“That’s who we wanted, and that’s who we got,” said Florida captain Max Koller after Florida’s “A” team beat Georgia Tech, 26-18 in the Gold Bracket quarterfinals. The rematch will take place Sunday at 8 a.m. at the Palmetto Dunes Tennis Center, site of the popular seventh annual tournament that serves as the official kickoff to the Tennis On Campus season.
North Carolina defeated Pittsburgh 30-15 for the right to advance against Florida. In the other semifinal, it will be defending national champion Auburn taking on upstart Georgia College, which upset 2012 Fall Invitational winner Duke earlier in the day, then beat Ohio State in the quarterfinals, 26-18.
“Our strength lies in our depth,” said Koller, who got a call earlier in the week from tournament official that they could field a “B” team. “So we got four of our players who weren’t going to play and they made it into the Gold Bracket Round of 16,” before falling in the day’s closest match to Georgia Tech 23-22. They later beat North Carolina State’s “A” team and will look to finish strong in the Gold Bracket back draw.
Florida is the only two-time winner of this event, capturing Fall Invite titles in 2013 and 2014. The Gators lost in the quarterfinals to Boston College last year. “We know what it feels like to do well here,” Koller said.
Auburn downed the University of Central Florida 22-17 in a tight match thanks to the play of captain Mitchell Vegas, who guided the Tigers to their first-ever TOC national title last spring. On Saturday, Vegas won his singles 6-1, and then teamed with Hannah Nelson to clinch it in mixed doubles6-2.
Georgia College is in the final four for the first time, and fields a strong team in mixed doubles led by Tyler Tracy and Katie Krupp, who bears a strong resemblance to fellow Georgian Melanie Oudin. “We have a very strong lineup and don’t have any weaknesses,” senior captain Ben Gottenberg said. “We won our Section for the first time last year and placed 26th at Nationals. We just keep going farther and farther.”
LOOKIN’ GOOD: Teams were looking sharp once again on Saturday. On Friday, the University of Central Florida female players were black and pink tank tops in observation Breast Cancer Awareness Month. The tanks read: “Passion, Strength, Faith” and had a pink ribbon. On Saturday the team dressed as their favorite super hero.
“We have a parent of one of our players who had to go through breast cancer and we just wanted to show our support,” said junior Nicole Jimenez. Added senior Jennifer Fernandez, “It’s a tradition we started here last year so we wanted to do it again.”
The Colorado School of Mines had t-shirts that said, “Belong Designs” given to them by a Colorado clothing company started by Mines alum Shamus McNutt who is a friend of Mines captain Brandt Theander. Theander said the team is also sponsored by an anonymous donor.
“We love it out here playing on the clay and going to the beach,” Theander said. “It’s a very nice break from our engineer studies.”
A CAREER IN TENNIS: Nate Helmkamp of Ferris State has wanted to be a teaching pro ever since he took his first lesson at the age of 7 years old at a local Fort Wayne, Ind., club. “It’s all I’ve ever wanted to do,” said the junior, who is enrolled in the Professional Tennis Management program at the Big Rapids, Mich., school. “The program has been great and has given me so much experience.” Helmkamp spent a summer interning at a Washington D.C. club and got up close to many of the top ATP pros playing in the Citi Open, including his favorite player Gael Monfils.
Saturday’s Results
Gold Bracket
Winner Quarterfinals
Auburn 22, University of Central Florida 17
Georgia College 26, Ohio State 18
Florida (A) 26 Georgia Tech 18
UNC-Chapel Hill (A) 30, Pittsburgh 15
Loser Quarterfinals
Cincinnati 27, Cornell 20
University of Georgia 28, Duke 22
Florida (B) 25, North Carolina State (A) 22
Vanderbilt 23, Colorado State 21
Round of 16
Auburn 26, Cincinnati 19
University of Central Florida 27, Cornell 16
Georgia College 25, Duke 19
Ohio State 23, University of Georgia 20
Georgia Tech 23, Florida (B) 22
Florida (A) 30, North Carolina State (A) 11
Pittsburgh 26, Vanderbilt 15
UNC-Chapel Hill (A) 30, Colorado State 13
Silver Bracket
Winner Semifinals
Virginia Tech 23, Virginia 17
Kentucky 27, Clemson 19
Loser Semifinals
Colorado 25, North Carolina State (B) 18
UNC-Chapel Hill (B) 28, Ohio University 17
Quarterfinals
Virginia Tech 25, Colorado 23
Virginia 20, North Carolina State (B) 17
Clemson 23, UNC-Chapel Hill (B) 22
Kentucky 28, Ohio University 13
Bronze Bracket
Winner Semifinals
Furman 28, Georgia Southern 16
Ferris State 23, Colorado School of Mines 19
Loser Semifinals
Western Kentucky 24, University of Tennessee-Chattanooga 17
Appalachian State 27, UNC-Charlotte 17
Quarterfinals
Furman 26, Western Kentucky 24
Georgia Southern 28, University of Tennessee-Chattanooga 15
Colorado School of Mines 28, Appalachian State 20
Ferris State 26, UNC-Charlotte 16
Copper Play
American 29, Armstrong State 10
UNC-Wilmington 30, Radford 14
American 22, UNC-Wilmington 17
Armstrong State 26, Radford 17
American 30, Radford 8
UNC-Wilmington 30, Armstrong Sate 15
Tennis on Campus Fall Invitational Past Champions:
2015 — University of Georgia
2014 — University of Florida
2013 — University of Florida
2012 — Duke University
2011 — University of Virginia
2010 — University of Alabama
This story was originally published October 29, 2016 at 8:07 PM with the headline "Gators get wanted rematch against Tar Heels in On Campus Fall Invitational."