Men's NCAA Tennis Championships:<BR>Butler Falls to No. 11 Kentucky

Nov. 3, 2004

The Bulldogs gave No. 11 Kentucky a scare Saturday in the first round of the NCAA Championships before falling, 4-0, to the host Wildcats in Lexington, Ky. The loss ends the Bulldogs' season, as Butler posted a 17-7 dual match record and advanced to the NCAA tournament for the third consecutive season.

Andy Bartish and James Low jumped out to a 4-0 lead at No. 2 doubles and ended up winning, 8-5. Kentucky won, 8-3, at the third spot. Butler's top team of Brandon Gill and Kevin Gill led 5-4 and had three break points on Rahim Esmail's serve. But the Wildcats were able to hold that game and got a late break to take the match, 8-6, and the doubles point.

In singles, the Wildcats got straight set wins at the second, third and fourth positions. Kentucky's Tigran Martirosyan, ranked No. 94 in the nation, won the last six games of his match with Brandon Gill to clinch the match with a 6-3, 6-3 decision.

Butler's Kevin Gill split sets with the Wildcats' Jesse Witten at the top singles spot before the match was suspended by the Wildcats' 4-0 win. Witten, ranked No. 6 in the country, won the first set, 6-2, and led, 3-0, in the second before Gill fought back and won the tiebreaker by a score of 7-5. The players were only one game into the third set when play was halted.

With the win, the Wildcats, the tournament's No. 12 seed, advance to Sunday's second round, where they will face the winner of the TCU-East Tennessee State match.

Singles:
Jesse Witten (UK) and Kevin Gill (BU) did not finish, 6-2, 6-7 (5), 1-0 (UK leading when susp.)
Evan Austin (UK) def. Brandon Gill, 6-3, 6-3
Tigran Martirosyan (UK) def. James Low, 6-2, 6-1
Nate Emge (UK) def. Andy Bartish, 6-2, 6-0
Rahim Esmail (UK) and Mike Weaver (BU) did not finish, 5-0 (UK leading when susp.)
Alex Hume (UK) and Evan West (BU) did not finish, 4-1 (UK leading when susp.)


Doubles: Esmail/Witten (UK) def. Gill/Gill, 8-6
Bartish/Low (BU) def. Austin/Hume, 8-5
Emge/Martirosyan (UK) def. Weaver/Adam Bordow, 8-3

Story courtesy of John Dedman, Butler Sports Information