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Men’s tennis claims ninth consecutive ACC tourney title, 139th straight conference victory

Virginia poses with the championship trophy after clinching the  2015 ACC Men's Tennis Championship in Durham, N.C., April. 26, 2015. (Photo by Sara D. Davis, theACC.com)
Virginia poses with the championship trophy after clinching the 2015 ACC Men's Tennis Championship in Durham, N.C., April. 26, 2015. (Photo by Sara D. Davis, theACC.com)

The Virginia men’s tennis team won its ninth consecutive ACC Championship Sunday at the Sheffield Indoor Tennis Center in Durham, North Carolina. The No. 5 Cavaliers (23-3, 12-0 ACC) dispatched Wake Forest by a 4-2 final score in the title match for their 11th conference tourney title in 12 years.

“Winning the ACC Championship never gets old,” Virginia coach Brian Boland said. “Other than the success my former players have had in life after leaving U.Va., the thing I am most proud of is the consistency we have had year after year. It says a lot about the hard work that our players have put into the program and their ability to be ready to play every single day.”

Virginia matched North Carolina’s record nine consecutive ACC tournament crowns — the Tar Heels took home the trophy every season from 1970-78 — while equaling Duke’s conference-high 11 titles in the team-tournament era. The Cavaliers — winners of three tourney matches in three days — also pushed their ACC winning streak to 139 matches, the longest winning streak in any sport in conference history.

After a 4-1 win against Florida State in the quarterfinals Friday in Cary, North Carolina and a 4-0 victory against No. 16 North Carolina Saturday in Durham, Virginia gained the advantage against the No. 12 Demon Deacons (22-7, 9-3 ACC) with wins at Nos. 1 and 2 doubles. No. 63 junior Mac Styslinger and sophomore Thai-Son Kwiatkowski posted an 8-5 decision at No. 2 before No. 2 sophomore Luca Corinteli and junior Ryan Shane locked up the doubles point at No. 1.

Competing without No. 21 senior Mitchell Frank — the two-time ITA All-American sat out after experiencing back pain following the win against the Tar Heels — the Cavaliers claimed straight-set wins at Nos. 3 and 5 singles. No. 13 freshman Noah Rubin and No. 15 junior Romain Bogaerts put Wake Forest back in contention with wins at Nos. 1 and 2 singles before Virginia freshman Alexander Ritschard closed out the match at No. 4.

Virginia earned an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament and will learn its fate Tuesday at 5:30 p.m. Tournament action begins May 8.

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