Vols, Lady Vols overmatched in the SEC tennis championships

Tennessee couldn't overcome a big tennis deficit Sunday, but it wasn't for a lack of effort.

After losing the doubles point and two singles matches, the Vols fought back before losing to Ole Miss 4-2 in the SEC men's championship match at Auburn's Yarbrough Tennis Center

"Our effort today was fantastic and our commitment was tremendous,'' UT coach Sam Winterbotham said. "As a coach, you love the commitment these guys showed today. They gave everything they had to make a push at the end."

Singles victories by Davey Sandgren and John-Patrick Smith gave Tennessee (21-6) a chance. Ole Miss' Devin Britton closed out the match by beating UT's Boris Conkic, 7-5, 6-4, giving the Rebels (24-2) their second straight championship.

"Britton made some great shots to win against Boris,'' Wintherbotham said. "When you play at this level, it's only a shot or two that make the difference."

The NCAA bracket for men and women will be announced April 28.

Women's Tennis: Playing in the second SEC tournament championship match in program history, Tennessee was no match for top-seed Georgia, losing 4-0 at the Dills Indoor Tennis Center in Fayetteville, Ark.

Despite winning a doubles match, the Lady Vols lost the doubles point. In the deciding match, the Georgia duo of Monika Dancevic and Yvette Hyndman beat UT's Zsofia Zubor and Rosalia Alda, 8-5.

The Lady Vols (17-6) then were beaten in straight sets in three singles matches by Georgia (22-3).

"We fought hard but Georgia is an extremely talented team,'' Lady Vols co-head coach Mike Patrick said. "Congratulations to them on a great match and just a terrific season so far. Hopefully, we can build on this as we enter the NCAA tournament."

Rowing: Tennessee had two second-place finishes on the final day of the Charles River Challenge in Boston.

The Lady Vols' Varsity 8+ and second Varsity 8+ shells both were second to host Harvard. The Lady Vols' times were 7 minutes, 25.5 seconds in the first race and 7:27.9.

The Lady Vols' Varsity 4+ shell finished fourth in 8:56.5.