No. 2 men’s tennis defeats Georgia in close contest
Freshman Joseph DiGiulio’s “looping half-volley” hit led to a return error by the opposing Georgia singles’ player, sealing the match for DiGiulio and UCLA.
By Anay Dattawadkar
Feb. 3, 2014 12:26 a.m.
In the end, it all came down to Joseph DiGiulio.
UCLA and Georgia were even at 3-3 as his match entered its third and deciding set. Constantly playing with a deficit, UCLA had fought back repeatedly to put the team’s fate in the hands of this Bruin freshman. No pressure.
With the score at 5-4 and all eyes on court No. 6, DiGiulio sprinted into the service box and hit a looping half-volley over his opponent’s head. Somehow landing inside the back line, it forced a desperate return attempt that went wide, sealing the match for DiGiulio and the Bruins.
An elated DiGiulio was mobbed by his teammates on the court, the Bruins roaring with joy after knocking off two top SEC teams on consecutive days at the Pac-12/SEC Challenge. The team had defeated No. 11 Florida the previous day to set up the matchup with the No. 3 Bulldogs.
“Of all the matches I’ve ever played, this is at the top,” DiGiulio said, “This was definitely the best victory of my career. It’s such a unique feeling, because you’re not just playing for yourself – you’re playing for your entire team.”
The match arguably should not have been so close, and after DiGiulio took the first set 6-0, it looked to be headed for a quick conclusion. But DiGiulio’s opponent, senior Hernus Pieters, rallied back, breaking DiGiulio’s serve at 5-4 to force a tiebreaker and eventual third set.
After giving up a chance to close the match out, DiGiulio could easily have folded – many other players would have, according to coach Billy Martin, but Joe DiGiulio didn’t.
With the score at 4-3, DiGiulio went up 40-0 – a crucial chance to move closer to a set victory. But the experienced Pieters held strong, winning five straight points to steal the game and knot the score at 4-4. Even after dropping that game, however, DiGiulio did not falter, winning two straight games to end the match.
“I can’t tell you how proud I am of Joe,” Martin said, “Even in that third set, after dropping the game after being up 40-0, he really showed some confidence. I’ve seen some upperclassmen falter under that kind of pressure, but Joe really held strong. He handled it as well as anybody I’ve ever seen. ”
DiGiulio’s composure under pressure was emblematic of the entire team’s, as the players faced a dogged Georgia side in what many players said was the toughest match of the year so far. Up and down the lineup, the Bulldogs tested the Bruins, who faced no easy going throughout the day.
UCLA was perhaps tested the most on doubles, which has been a minor issue throughout the year for the team – which dropped the doubles point against both Florida and Georgia. While the team was still able to overcome the deficit on both days, junior Marcos Giron said he felt that the issue was one that would have to be addressed going forward.
“We just need more practice on doubles; we have to figure that out,” Giron said. “That’s something that’s really going to be crucial in the future, especially at the NCAA tournament.”
Martin, however, was optimistic about doubles and the team’s future in general, citing the team’s response to this adversity as his main reason for positivity heading into next week’s matches against St. Mary’s and Stanford.
“I’ve
seen a lot of teams really panic when they don’t win the doubles point,” Martin said. “But they kept their composure really well, and for us to win those matches after dropping the doubles point shows me really that we’ve got some character on this team.”
