Home Care In Bicknell, UT

COLUMBIA, S.C. – Behind a dominant team performance, the ninth-ranked Tennessee men's tennis team upped its winning streak to six matches as it trounced No. 5 South Carolina on the road Sunday afternoon, 6-1, at the Carolina Tennis Center.

The win marked Tennessee's (18-6, 8-2 SEC) fifth top-20 victory in its last six matches, including a pair of top-five triumphs in that span. To start the match, Tennessee won the doubles point for the 21st time in 24 matches this season.

The three doubles matches Sunday were as tight as it gets, with each going to a tiebreaker. Court one's doubles match, featuring the nation's top-two pairings, lived up to its billing but South Carolina's (17-5, 6-4 SEC) top-ranked duo of Toby Samuel and Connor Thomson narrowly edged Tennessee's second-ranked Johannus Monday and Pat Harper, 7-6(7).

The Vols were victorious in the remaining two doubles tiebreakers, starting with UT's 44th-ranked duo of Emile Hudd and Shunsuke Mitsui at the No. 2 spot. The Big Orange duo overcame 31st-ranked Jake Beasley and James Story, 7-6(4). A key point in the match came when the Vols fended off a Gamecock match point on a 4-5 decider, thanks to a big serve from Hudd.

The doubles clinch came at the No. 3 spot from Angel Diaz and Martim Prata. The UT tandem battled for a 7-6(4) decision over Casey Hoole and Lucas da Silva. Diaz and Prata moved to 3-1 together this season after the win, with two of those three wins being clinches of the doubles point.

"As we saw today, doubles provides an advantage as the match plays out," Tennessee head coach Chris Woodruff said. "I thought Martim did a nice job today and Angel has significantly improved in all areas of the game. But, who stands out is Patrick Harper. He's been an incredible teammate and friend to all of us involved with Tennessee Tennis.

"This time of year, there are certain things that need to be done to enhance postseason success. We will continue to push onward and upward."

In singles action, No. 124 Mitsui gave the Vols a 2-0 advantage with a straight-set, 6-3, 6-3, win on court four over 88th-ranked Hoole. The win marked Mitsui's 25th singles win this season and 15th of the dual season.

Tennessee's 3-0 lead was earned when Hudd defeated South Carolina's 11th-ranked Thomson, 6-4, 6-4 at the No. 2 lineup spot. Hudd held on a 4-4 deuce point to go up 5-4 in the first set. Later, he repeated that by winning a decider to go up 5-4 in the second.

The win serves as Hudd's seventh ranked singles victory of the season and third top-15 win of the campaign, with two of those three triumphs coming in the dual season.

On court five, Tennessee's Diaz won a second-set tiebreaker to clinch the Vols' win with a 6-3, 7-6(3) victory over Beasley. Diaz is 17-3 in dual singles matches this year, holding a 10-2 (8-2 SEC) mark at No. 5 singles.

Upon the match being clinched at 4-0, the Gamecocks took the match on court three, before second-ranked Monday conquered the nation's sixth-ranked singles player, Samuel, 6-4, 7-6(5), at the No. 1 position to move to 16-2 in singles play on the year. Monday is 11-1 against ranked singles opponents this season and 4-0 against top-10 foes.

To cap Tennessee's dominant effort, Harper battled past da Silva in a third set, 3-6, 6-3, 6-2, for his fourth singles win at the No. 6 spot this season.

RANKED DUBS Of Tennessee's 13 top-10 wins under Woodruff, Sunday's 6-1 decision over the Gamecocks was the most points accumulated by the Vols in any of those wins.

UP NEXT Tennessee returns home for its regular-season home finale Friday against Ole Miss. First serve is scheduled for noon ET at Barksdale Stadium.

RESULTS: Tennessee 6, South Carolina 1 Doubles

1. #1 Toby Samuel/Connor Thomson (SC) def. #2 Johannus Monday/Pat Harper (UT) 7-6 (9-7) 2. #44 Emile Hudd/Shunsuke Mitsui (UT) def. #31 Jake Beasley/James Story (SC) 7-6 (7-4) 3. Angel Diaz/Martim Prata (UT) def. Casey Hoole/Lucas da Silva (SC) 7-6 (7-4)

Order of Finish: (1,2,3)

Singles

1. #2 Johannus Monday (UT) def. #6 Toby Samuel (SC) 6-4, 7-6 (7-5) 2. #44 Emile Hudd (UT) def. #11 Connor Thomson (SC) 6-4, 6-4 3. James Story (SC) def. Blaise Bicknell (UT) 7-6 (7-4), 6-4 4. #124 Shunsuke Mitsui (UT) def. #88 Casey Hoole (SC) 6-3, 6-3 5. Angel Diaz (UT) def. Jake Beasley (SC) 6-3, 7-6 (7-3) 6. Pat Harper (UT) def. Lucas da Silva (SC) 3-6, 6-3, 6-2

Order of Finish: (4,2,5,3,1,6)

Pickles are a wonderful thing, and pie might be one of the most beautiful creations of man. When you think of pickles and pies, they aren't typically together — unless you're thinking about Utah Pickle Pie. Yes, pickle pie. You may be thinking, "Why would you put pickles in a pie?" We understand! But pickle pie is a testament to the power of two incredibly different and wonderful things coming together to make something entirely transcendent; an enigma wrapped in a pickle, baked in a pie.

It's no shtick — pickle pie is entirely for real and apparently as delicious as it is fun to say. It also happens to be one of the most popular items on the menu at a little diner off UT-24 highway in Bicknell, Utah. Cula Ekker is the brain behind pickle pie. Known as the Pie Queen of Wayne County, Cula grew up in the small Utah town of Thurber. Just a couple of miles down the road from Bicknell, where her brother Milton Taft opened the Sunglow Motel and Restaurant in the mid 1960s, Cula developed her recipe from a recipe for pickle pie she saw in a 1970s magazine. That recipe was a bust, but with the help of Marva Baker, a cook at the restaurant, the Sunglow pickle pie was perfected.

What exactly goes into a pickle pie?

So what in the world goes into a pickle pie, you may ask? It's mainly a spiced pie that features cinnamon, nutmeg, and lemon extract as co-stars to accompany the sweet pickles. Some people describe it as having a mince-pie texture attributed to the processed pickles. The flavor is warm and spicy, at first, then tangy as the pickles make an appearance on the finish. Pickle pie is a little more complex and sophisticated than its name suggests.

If you can't make it to the desert of southern Utah anytime soon, you can make this surprisingly simple pie at home. You'll start by beating eggs and sugar until thick. Whisk in cinnamon, nutmeg, lemon extract, cornstarch, cream, and butter. Stir minced sweet pickles and pour the mixture into an unbaked pie shell. Bake in an oven preheated to 350 degrees Fahrenheit for one hour to one hour and 15 minutes. Serve with a little minced sweet pickle garnish and whipped cream.

Bob Bicknell is in his second season as a senior offensive assistant on Dennis Allen's coaching staff.

Bicknell (pronounced "bick-NELL"), has 14 years of NFL experience in the coaching ranks and 29 years of college and professional experience overall. The Holliston, Mass. native possesses extensive coaching experience on both the offensive line and at the skill positions.

From 2018-20, Bicknell served as wide receivers coach of the Cincinnati Bengals, where he was instrumental in the development of a pair of young wideouts in Tyler Boyd and Tee Higgins. Bicknell's tutelage in his first season in Cincinnati in 2018 helped Boyd make a big jump in his third campaign, when he finished with 76 receptions for 1,028 yards and seven touchdowns. In each of his three seasons, tutoring Boyd the wideout posted at least 76 receptions. A second round draft pick out of Clemson in 2020, Higgins finished his rookie season under Bicknell's tutelage with 67 receptions for 908 yards and six touchdowns, with his catch total tying a Bengals rookie record at the time.

Prior to his arrival in Cincinnati, Bicknell spent the 2017 season as the wide receivers coach at Baylor University, where he helped sophomore Denzel Mims to career-highs in catches (61), receiving yards (1087) and TDs (eight).

Bicknell tutored the wideouts under Chip Kelly with the Philadelphia Eagles (2013-15) and San Francisco 49ers (2016). During his Eagles tenure, Bicknell helped guide DeSean Jackson, Jeremy Maclin and Jordan Matthews to career-high receiving yardage and receiving touchdown totals. In 2013, Bicknell helped Jackson set career-highs in receptions (82) and receiving yards (1,332) and tied his career-best in scoring grabs (nine) en route to his third Pro Bowl selection.

From 2010-12, Bicknell was on the Buffalo Bills' coaching staff, serving as tight ends coach from 2010-11 and wide receivers coach in 2012, when he helped Stevie Johnson to his third consecutive 1,000-yard receiving season.

Bicknell broke into the NFL coaching ranks in 2007 with the Kansas City Chiefs, where he initially served as assistant offensive line coach before being promoted to offensive line coach (2008) and then moving to tight ends coach (2009). In 2008, Bicknell helped the Chiefs' offensive line support a powerful running attack that tied for the AFC lead in rushing, at 4.8 yards per carry.

Before joining NFL coaching, Bicknell served as the offensive line coach at Temple University in 2006. Prior to his time at Temple, he spent eight years in NFL Europe (1998-2005), including stints as the offensive coordinator/offensive line coach for the Cologne Centurions (2004-05) and Berlin Thunder (2001-03). During his time in Europe, Bicknell won three consecutive World Bowls as part of the coaching staff of the Thunder (2000-01) and Frankfurt Galaxy (1999). Bicknell began his coaching career at Boston University, where he coached safeties, running backs and linebackers from 1993-97.

Bicknell was a three-year letterwinner as a tight end at Boston College from 1989-91 and graduated with a bachelor's degree in speech communications. He comes from a football family, as his father, Jack Sr., was the head coach at BC from 1981-90 and spent 13 seasons as a head coach in NFL Europe before retiring in 2007. His brother, Jack, Jr., is currently the offensive line coach at the University of Wisconsin, previously served as an NFL assistant with several teams and was head coach at Louisiana Tech for eight seasons (1999-2006).

PLAYING CAREER: Boston College, 1989-91.

Bob Bicknell Coaching Career

ATHENS, Ga. – A hard-fought road battle saw the 18th-ranked Tennessee men's tennis team narrowly fall to 10th-ranked Georgia Saturday afternoon, 4-3.

Tennessee (12-6, 3-2 SEC) began the match by winning its 16th doubles point of the season, with victories on courts two and three. Georgia (11-5, 5-0 SEC) eventually clinched the match on court two to end the over three-hour battle.

"I thought today was a good college tennis match," head coach Chris Woodruff said. "There were lots of ebbs and flows. One team was going to be disappointed at the result and unfortunately, it was us. I've been around long enough to know that one, two or three matches don't define a season. What truly matters is where you are in May. I'd say it won't be the last time we lock horns with Georgia."

In doubles, Tennessee's 50th-ranked duo of Emile Hudd and Shunsuke Mitsui took down Philip Henning and Teodor Giusca of Georgia, 6-4, on court two. Hudd and Mitsui broke the Bulldogs on a 4-4 deuce point to go up 5-4 before serving it out.

After the Bulldogs took court one, UT's Angel Diaz and Martim Prata overcame Blake Croyder and Britton Johnston at the No. 3 spot, 6-4, to clinch the doubles point. In Diaz and Prata's first pairing since last dual season, the tandem held on an opening-game decider and broke Georgia to go up a break at 3-1. Croyder and Johnston broke back to cut their deficit to 4-5, but the Vols used a break in the final game to give Tennessee an early 1-0 lead.

On the singles courts, seventh-ranked Johannus Monday continued his stellar junior campaign with a straight-set, 6-2, 6-2, win over Ethan Quinn, who entered Saturday with a No. 2 national singles ranking. Monday won 56 of the match's 95 total points, earning his 10th win atop the singles lineup this spring to improve to 13-1 overall in singles play this season. Monday has won 10 consecutive singles matches and is 5-0 in SEC action.

The Bulldogs tallied their first point with a win on court six, before #120 Shunsuke Mitsui rebounded from dropping his first set to defeat #90 Blake Croyder, 3-6, 6-3, 6-2. Mitsui won 54-of-96 (.563) points in the final two sets after going down a set, giving Tennessee a 3-1 advantage.

Georgia took court five, with #101 Giusca defeating Tennessee's Diaz in a pair of tiebreakers, 7-6(3), 7-6(2). On court three, UT's Blaise Bicknell had two match points in a second-set tiebreaker, but Georgia's Trent Bryde took the three-set affair, 2-6, 7-6(8), 6-3.

The Georgia clinch came at the No. 2 spot, as 15th-ranked Henning won a third-set tiebreaker over Tennessee's Hudd to take the match, 3-6, 6-3, 7-6(6). Of Tennessee's six losses this season, four have been 4-3 decisions and all have come against top-15 competition, with four of the six coming against top-10 foes.

UP NEXT Tennessee returns home for a match against No. 11 Columbia on Friday, with first serve set for 4 p.m. ET.

RESULTS: Tennessee 3, Georgia 4 Doubles

1. #11 Ethan Quinn/Trent Bryde (UGA) def. #4 Pat Harper/Johannus Monday (UT) 6-3 2. #50 Emile Hudd/Shunsuke Mitsui (UT) def. Philip Henning/Teodor Giusca (UGA) 6-4 3. Angel Diaz/Martim Prata (UT) def. Blake Croyder/Britton Johnston (UGA) 6-4

Order of Finish: (2,1,3)

Singles

1. #7 Johannus Monday (UT) def. #2 Ethan Quinn (UGA) 6-2, 6-2 2. #15 Philip Henning (UGA) def. #62 Emile Hudd (UT) 3-6, 6-3, 7-6 (8-6) 3. Trent Bryde (UGA) def. Blaise Bicknell (UT) 2-6, 7-6 (10-8), 6-3 4. #120 Shunsuke Mitsui (UT) def. #90 Blake Croyder (UGA) 3-6, 6-3, 6-2 5. #101 Teodor Giusca (UGA) def. Angel Diaz (UT) 7-6 (7-3), 7-6 (7-2) 6. Miguel Perez Pena (UGA) def. Pat Harper (UT) 6-2, 7-5

Order of Finish: (1,6,4,5,3,2)

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – Tennessee men's tennis coach Chris Woodruff announced Monday that Florida transfer Blaise Bicknell has signed with UT and will join the Vols' squad for the upcoming spring semester.

A junior from Kingston, Jamaica, who attended Laurel Springs High School in Miami, Florida, Bicknell entered the collegiate landscape as an elite prospect. He was rated as the No. 3 prospect in the state of Florida and the No. 13 overall recruit in the country in 2019.

Standing at 6-3, Bicknell finished the 2020-21 season with an unblemished overall singles record of 32-0. He went 23-0 in dual match singles play, logging 18 victories at the No. 4 spot in the Gators' lineup, one win at the No. 5 spot and four wins at No. 6.

"I think it's safe to say that everyone affiliated with our team is really excited to welcome Blaise to Vol Nation," Woodruff said. "Blaise is a difference-maker and unequivocally helps our team immensely. He has the potential to be a next-level player, while at the same time leave an indelible impression on our storied program. We're thrilled to have him in Knoxville."

Following his sophomore season in the spring of 2021, Bicknell was named to the 2021 All-SEC Second Team, while also being recognized on the 2021 SEC All-Newcomer Team.

Additionally, Bicknell earned a spot on the 2021 SEC All-Tournament Team and also became an NCAA Champion at season's end (team championship).

As a freshman in 2019-20, Bicknell posted a 19-6 overall singles record and was 7-0 in dual singles action before the season was cut short due to COVID-19.

Bicknell, holding a singles ranking of No. 33 to open the 2021 fall season, represented Jamaica in the Davis Cup during the summer of 2021. He holds a singles record of 5-1 and a 1-1 doubles record when representing his home country.

The Vols are now the nation's only team to boast four of the nation's top-33 singles players, according to the ITA Preseason National Rankings: Adam Walton (No. 5), Johannus Monday (No. 6), Martim Prata (No. 29) and Bicknell (No. 33).

As for doubles, Tennessee's Aussie tandem of Walton and Pat Harper stand as the nation's No. 1 doubles pair, coming off the duo's 2021 NCAA Doubles National Championship. Monday and Prata hold a national doubles ranking of No. 33, while newcomers Shunsuke Mitsui and Emile Hudd are listed as the No. 48 doubles pairing in the ITA Preseason Rankings.