NC State
ITA Carolina Regionals
Dempster, Mudge Clinch Doubles Title at USTA/ITA Carolina Regionals
10/20/2014 12:00:00 AM | Men's Tennis
CARY, N.C. - The tandem of Robbie Mudge and Ian Dempster of the NC State men's tennis team saved two match points and then won the next two points to win a thrilling doubles final, 3-6, 6-3, 1-0 (9), over Clemson's third-seeded pair of Alejandro Augosto and Hunter Harrington Monday at the 2014 USTA/ITA Carolina Regional Championships.
With the win, the ninth-ranked pair of Mudge and Dempster earns an automatic bid into the prestigious USTA/ITA National Indoor Intercollegiate Championships to be played Nov. 6-9 at the Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in Flushing, N.Y.
Choboy's Chat

"I think they would've been going to New York anyway since they're highly ranked, but they'll obviously be going now since they won the tournament which is nice," said head coach Jon Choboy. "They're one of the best teams in the country. They haven't played their best tennis in this tournament, but they found ways to win the crucial points."
Notables

- In the first set, Augosto and Harrington captured the first break of the match to take a 2-0 lead, before Mudge and Dempster were able to break back one game later. The third-seeded pair of Augosto and Harrington went on to win the set, 6-3.
- Mudge and Dempster went up two breaks, 5-0, in the second set, before the Clemson pair clawed to within a 5-3 deficit. Mudge served out the set in the next game to force a third-set tiebreak, 6-3.
- In the tiebreak, Clemson took a 9-7 advantage and had match point twice. With Mudge serving, the dynamic Wolfpack pair was able to save two straight match points and extend the tiebreak, 9-9. Mudge went on to win his next service point and a Clemson forehand into the net sealed the thrilling win for Mudge and Dempster, 3-6, 6-3, 1-0 (9).
- Throughout the tournament, Mudge and Dempster earned four victories in a tiebreak, including a 10-point tiebreak to decide the match in the semifinal and the final.
From the Players
Robbie Mudge - Senior
On saving two match points with his serve in the tiebreak

"I was just thinking to get the serve inside the box and hit the spot that Ian [Dempster] called," Mudge said. "Luckily it went well for us on those points. I didn't really serve all that well for most of the match, but positive reinforcement from Ian helped me play well for those two points."

On opportunity to play in ITA National Indoors as a senior

"I think it's an awesome opportunity. It was one of my goals going into the fall. Sean Weber and I lost in the finals last year in this tournament and that was devastating. I just wanted to give myself another chance to go up there. I'm glad we won today and it's another opportunity."

Ian Dempster - Sophomore

On the win today and advancing to ITA National Indoors

"It feels really good to win," Dempster said. "We played a lot of tough matches leading up to this. We played good tennis from Thursday to today."
On the key to winning in a tiebreak and close matches

"There isn't much to it really. You just have to play your game and focus as much as you can. Hope you can get the `W' at the end if you do all of the right things."

Up Next

Mudge and Dempster will compete in the USTA/ITA National Indoor Intercollegiate Championships to be played Nov. 6-9 in Flushing, N.Y.
