The University of Mississippi Athletics
Ole Miss
NCAA Individual Championships
Gard Advances To Round Of 16 At NCAA Singles
5/26/2005 | Men's Tennis
May 26, 2005
COLLEGE STATION, Texas - Catalin Gard of the Ole Miss men's tennis team, advanced to the round of 16 with a straight set win over Georgia Tech's Jose Muguruza Thursday at the George P. Mitchell Tennis Center.
Gard, the No. 4 seed in the 64-player draw, will face Florida State's top player, Matt Cloer, in the third round Friday beginning at Noon. Cloer led the Seminoles to the "Sweet Sixteen" where they upset Illinois before falling to Florida in the quarterfinals.
Against Muguruza, Gard won the first set 6-4. He broke in the second game to go up 2-0. Up 4-2, Gard would break again and serve out for 6-2. Gard is one of only four of the top eight seeds remaining in the draw.
Gard advanced to the third round for the first time in his career, as he seeks to win his second national title of the year. Gard won the ITA All-American Championships in the fall.
The 2004 SEC Player of the Year, Gard improved to 35-6 overall for the year. He finished 24-4 at No. 1 singles and led the Rebels to the overall SEC Championship for the second consecutive year and their fourth straight SEC West title. The Rebels ended the year ranked No. 3 in the nation for the sixth time in 10 years.
Earlier this week, Gard helped lead the Rebels to the NCAA Final Four for the fourth time in school history. Ole Miss defeated the 14th seed, Texas Tech, in the Sweet Sixteen and then knocked off sixth-seeded Georgia in the quarterfinals to advance to the semifinals. The Rebels came close, but fell just short of reaching the championship match, falling 4-2 to National Champion, UCLA.
NCAA SINGLES CHAMPIONSHIPS - COLLEGE STATION, Texas
Second round - Catalin Gard (OM) def. Jose Muguruza (GT) 6-4, 6-2.
