KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – The eighth-ranked Tennessee men’s team cruised to a Senior Day sweep over No. 20 South Carolina, 4-0, on Sunday to boast a 15-0 home record this season at Barksdale Stadium.
The Vols (19-4, 8-1 SEC) battled to secure the doubles point over the Gamecocks (11-10, 4-5 SEC), sparked by a strong 6-4 win from the seventh-ranked pair of Johannus Monday and Angel Diaz over James Story and Lucas da Silva atop the lineup. USC posted a win on court three to tie the doubles score at 1-all, but Shunsuke Mitsui and Filip Pieczonka, ranked 20th as a duo, pulled out a 7-5 victory over Toby Samuel and Carter Morgan at the No. 2 spot.
Diaz registered the Vols’ first win in singles play, routing Morgan, 6-0, 6-2 on court six. No. 40 Mitsui followed with a dominant 6-3, 6-1 victory over Story on court two. Pieczonka, ranked 109th in the nation, clinched the Big Orange sweep by cruising in a 6-1, 6-3 effort over da Silva at the No. 5 position, tallying his 15th singles win of the year.
RESULTS
Doubles
1. #7 Angel Diaz/Johannus Monday (UT) def. James Story/Lucas da Silva (SC), 6-4
2. #20 Shunsuke Mitsui/Filip Pieczonka (UT) def. Toby Samuel/Carter Morgan (SC), 7-5
3. Sean Daryabeigi/Jelani Sarr (SC) def. Younes Lalami/Chris Li (UT), 6-3
Order of Finish: 1,3,2
Singles
1. #5 Johannus Monday (UT) vs. #21 Toby Samuel (SC), 1-6, 6-2, 1-2, unfinished
2. #40 Shunsuke Mitsui (UT) def. James Story (SC), 6-3, 6-1
3. Chris Li (UT) vs. Sean Daryabeigi (SC), 6-6 (11-11), unfinished
4. Nicolas Kobelt (UT) vs. Jelani Sarr (SC), 7-6 (8-6), 1-5, unfinished
5. #109 Filip Pieczonka (UT) def. Lucas da Silva (SC), 6-1, 6-3
6. Angel Diaz (UT) def. Carter Morgan (SC), 6-0, 6-2
Order of Finish: 6,2,5
DOMINATING IN CONFERENCE PLAY
UT currently sits in second place in the SEC with an 8-1 record, trailing just behind Kentucky (9-0). The Vols are on a four-match winning streak with three conference matches left in the regular season, all of which are away.
15-0 AT HOME
Tennessee secured a perfect 15-0 home regular season record for the fifth time in program history since 2000. The other undefeated home records came in 2021, 2011, 2010 and 2001.
SHUN AND Z AT NO. 2
The 20th-ranked duo of Mitsui and Pieczonka has been on a hot 10-match winning streak and holds a perfect 8-0 record in SEC play. The pair is one win away from reaching 20 victories in 2023-24.
Click Here to Read the Full Original Article at University of Tennessee Athletics…