No. 18 Washington Fights Off Tulane

Monday, February 7

Seattle, Wash.

1:30 PM

Tulane University

Washington (NW Shootout)

Sophomore Alberto Sottocorno has not lost a set yet this year in singles action. [File photo by Ned Dishman]

Feb 7, 2005 | Men's Tennis

Feb. 7, 2005

Once again, the Tulane men's tennis team gave its opponent a tough battle, however, for the second match in a row, the Green Wave fell by a 4-3 score, this time being defeated by No. 18 Washington, the host of the Northwest Shootout, on Sunday afternoon at the Nordstrom Tennis Center.

Tulane (5-2) won the doubles point to get off on the right track and the two teams split the first four doubles matches, giving the Wave a 3-2 advantage. However, the Huskies battled back to tie the match as two-time All-American Alex Vlaski defeated Dmitriy Koch at No. 1 singles.

The lone match remaining to be decided was between Tulane's Ted Angelinos, who had clinched the Wave's upset of No. 11 Ohio State on Friday, and 79th-ranked Christoph Palmanshofer. Palmanshofer had taken the first set from Angelinos, 6-3, but the Green Wave sophomore fought back and served for the second set at 5-3, before Palmanshofer broke back. The two held serve from that point to force a tiebreak. At 4-4 in the tiebreak, Palmanshofer got a point against Angelinos' serve, fired an ace and then hit a serve which Angelinos returned wide on match point for the win.

In doubles action, Tulane fell behind early with a loss at No. 3, but the Green Wave leveled the score when its top-ranked team of Angelinos and junior Jacobo Hernandez earned an 8-6 win at No. 2 doubles. At No. 1 doubles, Koch and sophomore Alberto Sottocorno fell behind 6-4, but battled back to win five of the next six games and clinch the doubles point with a 9-7 win.

Tulane added a pair of points in singles action as Hernandez and Sottocorno both remained perfect on the season. Hernandez cruised to a 6-3, 6-3 over Daniel Chu at No. 4, while Sottocorno won 6-2, 7-5 over Andy Kuharsky at No. 5. Hernandez and Sottocorno are both a perfect 7-0 this spring, and neither player has dropped a set.

The Green Wave is back in action this weekend with a pair of matches at the Goldring Tennis Center on campus. Tulane hosts crosstown rival UNO on Friday at 2 p.m. and then battles 30th-ranked Mississippi State on Sunday at 1 p.m.

February 7, 2005
Nordstrom Tennis Center
Seattle, Wash.

No. 18 Washington 4, No. 17 Tulane 3

Doubles:
1. Koch/ Sottocorno (TU) def. Palmanshofer/Vlaski (UW): 9-7
2. Angelinos/Hernandez (TU) def. Chu/Scharler (UW): 8-6
3. Kuharsky/Slovic (UW) def. Goulet/Kane-West (TU): 8-3

Singles:
1. Alex Vlaski (UW) def. #59 Dmitriy Koch (TU): 6-4, 6-2
2. #9 Alex Slovic (UW) def. #81 David Goulet (TU): 6-4, 6-2
3. #79 Christoph Palmanshofer (UW) def. Ted Angelinos (TU): 6-3, 7-6
4. Jacobo Hernandez (TU) def. Daniel Chu (UW): 6-3, 6-3
5. Alberto Sottocorno (TU) def. Andy Kuharsky (UW): 6-2, 7-5
6. Peter Scharler (UW) def. Jonah Kane-West (TU): 6-1, 6-0