After a topsy-turvy week in Texas during which the Virginia men’s tennis team dealt with a canceled match and a rain delay, the team returned home to resume ACC action this weekend. The Cavaliers won a pair of matches 6-1 at the Snyder Tennis Center against Clemson and Georgia Tech to continue their undefeated season.
No. 1 Virginia’s (20-0, 5-0 ACC) return to normalcy began Friday against Clemson (8-7, 0-4 ACC) with a 3-0 victory in doubles to grab the first point. The Cavaliers then grabbed the next three points in singles to take a 4-0 lead, clinching the match. Senior Dominic Inglot, who bounced back from a singles loss to Texas last week to win 6-1, 6-4, led the surge.
Though the Tigers extended the match with three-set scuffles in the three, four and five spots, the Cavaliers ultimately emerged victorious in two of the three matches.
Virginia continued its dominating play in doubles Sunday against No. 62 Georgia Tech (6-8, 1-4 ACC). After dropping the first game, Virginia’s No. 2 team of Inglot and sophomore Michael Shabaz, who is ranked No. 15 individually, struck back with three straight wins.
The streak began in the second game when Shabaz hit four consecutive aces, setting the tone for the rest of the match. He then added three more aces during his next serving game and claimed an 8-5 victory after hitting a trick shot. The highlight of the day came when Shabaz’s volley at the net landed on the far court and spun right back to the front court for a Cavalier point.
“I approached and hit a volley at the guy at the net,” Shabaz said, explaining the unorthodox point. “He reflexed it back, and I thought the ball was coming right back at my racket and the wind kind of took it — so I just swung at it and it hit the top of the frame and put some funky back spin on it — so I just barely touched it and it had some crazy spin on it.”
For Inglot, the spectacular shot reflected the team’s confidence.
“We feel like we’re not [going to] lose a doubles match,” Inglot said. “[Shabaz] can come out with some crazy shots — I’m just happy that he did it [because] I didn’t want to be on the receiving end of a guy hitting a backhand at my face.”
With the win, the team improved to 17-1 in doubles. The squad’s success came as no surprise to Virginia coach Brian Boland.
“One of the things that’s really come a long ways is their return games,” Boland said. “They really rely on each other, which allows them to be a lot more aggressive ... Both our one and two teams can play either one or two.”
Against Clemson, the No. 4 team of Singh and Barrick played in the second slot. But against Georgia Tech, the pair played in the first slot, while Inglot and Shabaz took No. 2.
The change did not affect either team, as Singh and Barrick won 8-6 against Georgia Tech’s top team, No. 61 sophomore Guillermo Gomez and sophomore Ryan Smith. Like Inglot and Shabaz, the top team incurred an initial 0-1 deficit but quickly bounced back with a 5-4 lead and never looked back. Singh sealed the match with a winding ace into the back corner.
Boland continued to move the lineup in singles, as Shabaz, who played in the No. 3 spot against Clemson, switched places with Singh at No. 2 against Georgia Tech. No. 18 Shabaz jumped out to a 3-0 lead, never trailing in the first set. The result was a 6-2, 6-2 win.
“It helps me a lot when I’m making a lot of first serves,” Shabaz said. “When my serve’s popping, then it kind of gives me a lot of short balls to work with — I was able to use my serve and clean up with my volley or my forehand.”
After winning the first set 6-3, No. 15 Inglot gave No. 12 Gomez a bit of breathing room by dropping the first game of the second set. But the senior came back with three consecutive wins and ultimately prevailed 6-2.
Freshman Drew Courtney and No. 23 Singh clinched the match with 6-3, 6-2 and 6-3, 6-1 wins, respectively. The lineup change did not faze Singh, who noted before the match against Clemson that each player was confident he could win in any spot.
“I feel [Inglot], [Shabaz] and I — the coaches just switch us up — anyone can play 1, 2 or 3,” Shabaz said. “It doesn’t really matter; all of us have the same levels — and we have a solid 4-5-6, so there’s no point in changing that ... [Coach Boland] just switches us up whenever he feels like we have a good matchup.”
Virginia’s top three players — Inglot, Shabaz, and Singh — have now compiled a combined 43-7 singles record in dual matches. For Boland, however, the team’s strength in part comes from one of its unheralded leaders, Houston Barrick. The junior bounced back from a 4-6, 6-4, 9-11 loss against Clemson with the sixth point for the Cavaliers against Georgia Tech. After yielding the first set 3-6, Barrick climbed back to win the second set 7-5. He completed the Virginia victory with a 10-8 tiebreaker.
“[Barrick] — I mean, guts — he’s a no guts, no glory type guy,” Boland said. “[He] always leaves it on the court — that’s the story of Houston Barrick and the kind of leadership we have on our team — led by him and [Inglot]. He bounced back from a difficult loss on Friday, played much, much better today.”
Next weekend, Virginia will head back down south to take on Miami and Florida State.
Notes: Freshman Steven Eelkman Rooda lost the one singles match for the Cavaliers against Georgia Tech, 1-6, 2-6 ... In No. 3 doubles, Courtney and junior Lee Singer trailed the entire match until they tied the score, 7-7. They won 9-7.
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