If their previous matches are any indication, paramedics best be on call this afternoon in Richmond when No. 4 Brian Vahaly renews his rivalry with the country's No. 1 player, Daniel Andersson of Virginia Commonwealth.
Vahaly, a Cavalier junior, has won each of his three encounters with Andersson. But each match has been extremely competitive and twice, one or both players have required a trip to the hospital.
In the spring of 1998, the pair met in the round of 32 in the NCAA Team Tournament. With the team score knotted at three, the result hinged on the duel between Vahaly and Andersson. In the end, Virginia advanced as Vahaly staved off elimination and 100-degree temperatures to win 4-6, 7-6, 7-5.
"I was down about three match points," Vahaly recalled. "It was a really big match, the deciding match for the team in the NCAAs. After that match, we both went to the hospital for dehydration and cramps, which was a disaster."
|
The two squared off again that fall in the finals of the Virginia State Championships. After splitting the first two sets, Vahaly jumped to a quick 3-0 lead in the third set before Andersson retired. The Swiss native again had to go to the hospital with cramps.
Vahaly's only easy victory over Andersson came last spring, when he won in straight sets, 6-3, 6-3.
The players' deadly backhands should have as big an impact on the outcome of the match as the temperature in Richmond. The two combatants are mirror images of each other, as both prefer to stay on the baseline, draining the opponent's energy and forcing him into mistakes.
"That's how he wins," Vahaly said of Andersson. "Two hours later, his opponent is going to collapse - and that's the way I beat mine. It's almost like you're playing yourself, and you just have to take the mentality of how you would beat yourself."
Andersson agreed with his opponent.
"I think we know what to expect with each other," the senior said. "Brian makes you run a lot. I just need to take chances because he doesn't make mistakes."
Andersson accomplished the rare feat of winning titles at both National Indoors and National Claycourts and plans to turn pro after competing for the NCAA individual title.
Recently, though, Andersson (38-4) has been plagued by a recurring back injury which contributed to three losses in the last two weeks and forced him to sit out for a while. He has been receiving ultrasound treatment daily, hoping he can suit up and try to end his drought against Vahaly.
"I would be surprised to see him sit out this match," Vahaly said. "It is too big of a rivalry between us, and I think he wants one more crack at me."
Vahaly (25-4), a finance and marketing major, has been adding up straight set victories this season as quickly as he crunches numbers at the Commerce School. After placing second in the Intercollegiate Tennis Association All-American Championships in the fall, he moved into the national top five.
Vahaly defeated the nation's second-ranked player in February. Two of his four losses came to players currently ranked third and sixth in the nation, and a third defeat came at the hands of Stanford's K.J. Hippensteel, who was ranked first in the country before going down with a ruptured spleen in mid-January.
"It's an unbelievable thing to witness what [Vahaly] has done," Cavalier coach Dick Stockton said. "Dominant people are usually nervous playing Vahaly."
In addition to the ramifications the Vahaly-Andersson match will have for individual rankings, the team competition will have a huge impact on the Cavaliers' hopes of securing a berth in the NCAA Tournament for the fourth consecutive year.
Virginia has lost two of its last three matches after being ranked as high as 20th in the national polls earlier this season. A win over No. 16 VCU could boost the Cavs' chances for postseason play, since entrance into the NCAA field of 64 is dependent upon a ranking system which is aided by victories over highly ranked teams.
"We want to do something similar to what Carolina did in basketball," Vahaly said. "It was a terrible year, but you can make something out of nothing with a good performance" in the NCAA Tournament.
Read More
No. 5 seed Virginia falls to No. 1 seed Notre Dame 18-9 in ACC Tournament semifinals
By Cole Huff | 19 minutes agoThe massacre made last weekend's near dethroning of the Fighting Irish seem like a fantasy.
Virginia baseball boasts the best catcher in the country — a Division III transfer
By Xander Tilock | YesterdayFerence has replaced Teel admirably, and will look to lift Virginia back to the College World Series.
Lacrosse defenseman Cole Kastner announces transfer to Stanford basketball
By Michael Liebermann | 2 days agoKastner is reviving a hoops career that has lain dormant since he graduated high school.
