Nov. 1, 2009

Tennessee senior Davey Sandgren and junior John-Patrick Smith fell one match short of their second doubles title of the season Sunday afternoon at the Crimson Tide Fall Invitational in Tuscaloosa, Ala.

Sandgren and Smith defeated Alabama's Ricky Doverspike and Michael Thompson in the semifinals. The Tennessee duo then lost in the finals 8-6 to Vanderbilt's Adam Baker and Charlie Jones.

Sandgren and Smith, the top-ranked doubles team by the ITA, won the doubles title at the UVa Ranked Plus One Invitational earlier this year. They have a 10-2 record and have reached the finals in all three events they have entered this season.

Sandgren also lost the consolation finals of the third flight, falling 6-7, 6-2, 7-5 to Tennessee Tech's Josh Girling.

Next week marks the final major tournament of the fall season for the Vols. Sandgren and Smith, who reached the finals of the regional tournament, earned an at-large bid in doubles to the ITA National Indoor Championships in New Haven, Conn. Smith is the only Vol in the singles event; he automatically qualified by winning the ITA All-American Championships.

Junior Boris Conkic and freshman Rhyne Williams also qualified in doubles by defeating Sandgren and Smith in the ITA Ohio Valley Regional Championships last week. They have a 7-1 record as a pair, and Conkic has won 10 consecutive doubles matches.

Crimson Tide Fall Invitational
Tuscaloosa, Ala.
Third Flight Singles
Consolation Finals
Josh Girling, Tennessee Tech, def. Davey Sandgren, UT, 6-7, 6-2, 7-5

First Flight Doubles
Semifinals
Sandgren/Smith, UT, def. Doverspike/Thompson, Alabama, 8-6
Finals
Baker/Jones, Vanderbilt, def. Sandgren/Smith, UT, 8-6