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Vols take down No. 8 Illinois in men's tennis
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The Tennessee men's tennis team defeated eighth-ranked Illinois, 4-3 Sunday at Goodfriend Indoor Tennis Center for the Vols' first victory over a top-10 opponent since 2005.
The Vols are 6-0, which is their best start since the 1995 team started the season 7-0.
"I can't think of anything better to say than great job," coach Sam Winterbotham said. "The guys came in focused and they matched Illinois' intensity. We've told them all year that one of the keys to this year is playing to win. You have to go out and win matches. You can't wait for good teams like Illinois to give you matches because they won't. I'm proud of the guys for buying into this concept and playing some great tennis today."
UT senior All-America Kaden Hensel clinched the match with a three-set victory over Ruben Gonzales at the No. 1 position. Hensel won in a third-set tiebreaker.
The Vols got off to a good start by capturing the doubles point with freshmen Matteo Fago and Jeremy Tweedt at No. 3 and Hensel and J.P. Smith at No. 1.
Davey Sandgren extended UT's lead to two with a come-from-behind victory at No. 4 singles.
Smith gave Tennessee a 3-0 lead with a come-from-behind victory at No. 2 singles.
The Illini made the final score look close with wins at No. 3,5 and 6 singles.
"I have to thank the crowd that came out on Super Bowl Sunday," Winterbotham said. "They embraced what college tennis is about and gave us an atmosphere similar to a basketball game. The guys had a lot of fun playing in front of them."
© 2008, Knoxville News Sentinel Co.
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