University Of Georgia Teams Make USTA Tennis On Campus Quarterfinals

Both University of Georgia’s ”A” and ”B” teams had a successful weekend at the fifth annual USTA Tennis On Campus Fall Invitational played at the Palmetto Tennis Center in Hilton Head Island, S.C.

Georgia was down heading into the final mixed doubles match against Boston College on Sunday. On the court was former NCAA Division II player Callie Whitlock, who this year transferred from Rollins College to Georgia. Whitlock and her partner pulled out a 6-3 win to tie the match, then won the supertiebreaker 7-2 to clinch the win.

Whitlock could be the new poster child for Tennis On Campus as she said the pressure of collegiate tennis became too much, and she wanted to return to playing tennis “just for fun.”

“Plus my dad went to Georgia and I wanted to study music business and they were voted as one of the top programs for that major,” Whitlock said. “I love this format. This is the first time I got to play the ‘redemption’ match where we were down, tied it, then won the tiebreaker. It’s so much different but I just like it. I like the mixed doubles, and how much of a team environment there is.”

Whitlock said ever since coming to Georgia she has enjoyed college. “I was a little bit burned out on tennis,” she said. “We had practice every day for two hours and morning practice three times a week. I wanted to just enjoy college a little bit more. There’s just a lot more pressure and I wanted to get back to just playing for fun. That’s what Tennis On Campus is all about.”

Georgia’s “A” team came so close to having both Bulldog teams facing each other in the semifinals, but the “A” team dropped a 20-17 decision to Auburn.

Both Georgia teams are sharing a rented house on the beach, said senior captain Marissa Pulido, who plays women’s doubles for the “A” team. “To have two teams get to the quarterfinals is incredible,” Pulido said. “It’s never been done here before so we have a new record.”

Pulido said the depth of the Georgia Tennis On Campus team speaks to how strong the Metro-Atlanta area is in tennis. Led by Pulido, the Bulldogs beat -- you guessed it -- Florida to win the 2013 TOC National title. “That was one of the most nerve-wracking experiences I’ve ever had on the court,” Pulido said.

Pulido said that both the “A” and “B” teams were equal and were a mix of the program’s best players. She added that the “A” team also has a former varsity player in Brian Brandt, a transfer Birmingham Southern.

The Bulldog “A” team beat Harvard, 28-20, in the Round of 16 earlier in the day. Later in a battle of Ivy League schools, Harvard downed Cornell, 25-17.