Third-Ranked UCLA Downs No. 14 Tennessee, 4-1 UCLA men's tennis team wins opening match at National Team Indoors.
Dennis Mkrtchian

Dennis Mkrtchian

Feb. 15, 2013

SEATTLE - The third-seeded UCLA men's tennis team moved into the quarterfinals at the USTA/ITA National Team Indoors on Friday morning, posting a 4-1 victory over 14th-seeded Tennessee at the University of Washington's Nordstrom Tennis Center. With the win, UCLA (8-0) advances on to face sixth-seeded Georgia on Saturday at 8:00 a.m. The Bulldogs were 4-0 winners over Ole Miss on Friday.

UCLA vs. Georgia LIVE STATS - Feb. 16/8:00 a.m. (PST)

UCLA continued its streak of winning the doubles point in every match this season, claiming wins at court Nos. 2 and 3 to earn a 1-0 advantage in the match. After Adrien Puget and Karue Sell posted an 8-4 win at court No. 2, the Bruins clinched the point when Alex Brigham and Dennis Mkrtchian notched an 8-5 win over Brandon Fickey and Hunter Reese at the No. 3 spot.

The Bruins then took a 2-0 lead in singles when Sell posted a 6-1, 6-3 victory over Edward Jones at court No. 6. Sell remains the only player on the team to post a win in each of UCLA's eight victories this season.

Following Sell's victory, Tennessee (11-2) would notch its lone point of the afternoon at court No. 1, where 11th-ranked Mikelis Libietis was a 6-3, 6-4 winner over 58th-ranked Dennis Novikov.

Although the Volunteers managed to get on the board and cut the lead to 2-1, UCLA quickly notched a pair of straight-set victories to close out the match. Mkrtchian, who debuted at No. 55 in the ITA Singles Rankings this week, gave UCLA a 3-1 lead when he recorded a 7-6(3), 6-1 win over 87th-ranked Fickey at court No. 4. Bruin sophomore Marcos Giron then clinched the win for UCLA at the No. 2 spot, as he downed 26th-ranked Hunter Reese, 6-3, 7-5. Giron is the Bruins' highest-ranked singles player at No. 13.

UCLA was in good shape in the two remaining matches that were suspended, as Clay Thompson led John Collins, 4-0 in the third set at court No. 5, and Puget was up a set over Jarryd Chaplin at court No. 3.

The official USTA/ITA National Team Indoor event page can be located HERE.

USTA/ITA National Team Indoors
#3 UCLA 4, #14 Tennessee 1
Feb 15, 2013 at Seattle, WA (Nordstrom Tennis Center)

Doubles
1. Giron/Novikov (UCLA) vs. #26 Chaplin/Libietis (TENN) 7-7, unfinished
2. Puget/Sell (UCLA) def. Collins/Jones (TENN) 8-4
3. Alex Brigham/Mkrtchian (UCLA) def. Fickey/Reese (TENN) 8-5
UCLA Wins Doubles Point

Singles
1. #11 Mikelis Libietis (TENN) def. #58 Dennis Novikov (UCLA) 6-3, 6-4
2. #13 Marcos Giron (UCLA) def. #26 Hunter Reese (TENN) 6-3, 7-5
3. #42 Adrien Puget (UCLA) vs. Jarryd Chaplin (TENN) 7-6(0), 3-4, unfinished
4. #55 Dennis Mkrtchian (UCLA) def. #87 Brandon Fickey (TENN) 7-6(3), 6-1
5. Clay Thompson (UCLA) vs. John Collins (TENN) 3-6, 7-5, 4-0, unfinished
6. Karue Sell (UCLA) def. Edward Jones (TENN) 6-1, 6-3

Match Notes
Tennessee 11-2; National ranking #14
UCLA 8-0; National ranking #3
Order of finish: Doubles (2,3); Singles (6,1,4,2)

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