Despite the Gold Bracket final being rescheduled, the University of Miami club tennis team came out on top at the UT Spartan Showdown, held Feb. 1, 2020, at Hillsborough Community College in Tampa.
The event, hosted by the University of Tampa, was a new addition to the USTA Florida “Tennis on Campus” calendar for the 2019-2020 season and served as the campus series finale.
“This weekend’s event concludes the Campus Series for the 2019-2020 year,” said USTA Florida Tennis on Campus Coordinator Desirae McLaughlin. “The next two events will be exciting ones; the Delray Beach Campus Challenge, a one-day event taking place at the Delray Beach Open, and the USTA Florida Tennis on Campus Section Championships at the USTA National Campus.”
All finals were completed save for the Gold Bracket final, which has been rescheduled for Saturday, Feb. 8. The Hurricanes’ domination throughout the championship bracket paved the way for the final to be an internal match-up between two UM squads: the UM-“A” squad, who knocked off the University of Central Florida-“A” team, and the UM-“B” team, who defeated the Florida State University-“A” team.
Gold Bracket Finalists: UM-“A” and UM-“B”
UM-“A” squad members: Daniela Gonzalez, Juliana Gonzalez, Rohan Ramesh, Niles Ghaffer
UM-“B” squad members: Olivia Schvilema, Chloe Decker, Alex Jung, Mateus Fairbairn, Catalina Gonzalez, Tommy Calvy
The University of Miami also claimed victory in the Silver Bracket, when the UM-“C” team topped the University of North Florida-“A” team 30-15 in the final.
Women’s Doubles: Carly Hall/Ines Munoz (UM) d. Taylor Lopez/Kacy Poore 6-3
Men’s Doubles: Prey Wang/Dan Kim (UM) d. John Watson/Anthony Labucci 6-3
Women’s Singles: Carly Hall (UM) d. Taylor Lopez 6-1
Men’s Singles: Constantine Vogiatzis (UM) d. Javier Sumhec 6-4
Mixed Doubles: Dylan Sehgal/Ines Munoz (UM) d. Daniel Hall/Kacy Poore 6-4
In the Bronze Bracket final, the FSU-“B” squad edged the UT-“D” team 25-22.
17 teams from six schools competed at the event: the University of Tampa, UCF, UM, Florida Gulf Coast University, FSU and UNF.
The next event on the 2019-20 USTA Florida “Tennis on Campus” schedule will be the Delray Beach Campus Challenge at the Delray Beach Open on Feb. 15.
USTA Florida “Tennis on Campus” 2019-20 tournament schedule:
Sept. 14 — UF Gatorbowl, Gainesville (Final: UF-“A” d. UM-“A”)
Sept. 28 — FAU Burrow Brawl, Boca Raton (Final: UCF-“A” d. UM-“A”)
Oct. 5 — FSU Clash at the Capital, Tallahassee (Final: UF-“A” d. FSU-“A”)
Oct. 26 — USF Bull Run, Tampa (Final: UM-“A” d. UF-“A”)
Nov. 2 — FGCU Dirty Bird Classic, Ft. Myers (Final: UCF-“A” d. UT-“A”)
Nov. 16 — UCF Knightro Cup, Orlando (Final: UCF-“A” d. UF-“A”)
Jan. 11 — UNF Swoop the Nest, Jacksonville (Final: UM-“A” vs. UF-“A” canceled)
Jan. 18 — UM Ibis Open, Key Biscayne (Final: UF-“A” d. UM-“A”)
Feb. 1 — Hillsborough Community College, Tampa (Final: UM-“A” vs. UM-“B” rescheduled)
Feb. 15 — Delray Beach Open “Tennis on Campus” Challenge
Feb. 22 — USTA Florida Tennis on Campus Section Championships
About USTA Tennis On Campus
The USTA’s Tennis On Campus program is designed to provide college students with opportunities for team camaraderie, social networking, and rivaled competition through tennis without the rigors of a NCAA varsity program. Tennis on Campus offers fun co-ed team-based play (using the World TeamTennis scoring format), regional and national championship competition, and helps students maintain active and healthy lifestyles through their college years. Currently the program is offered on more than 500 college campuses. The USTA Tennis on Campus team format features men’s and women’s singles, men’s and women’s doubles and mixed doubles, with a minimum of two men and two women per team.
For more information on the USTA Florida Tennis on Campus series, to see team results or to start a team, go to www.ustaflorida.com/TOC, or contact Desirae McLaughlin at toc@ustaflorida.com.
