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Virginia sweeps doubleheader to reach 30-win plateau

Top-ranked team defeats Wake Forest, Hampton to send seniors off in style

The nation's top-ranked men's tennis team took down No. 18 Wake Forest, No. 47 North Carolina State and Hampton at home this weekend.

Against N.C. State Friday, the Cavaliers won 7-0, taking every match in straight sets except at the No. 4 singles position, where sophomore Drew Courtney dropped the first set against Dave Thomson, but eventually prevailed 4-6, 6-3, 6-4.

Yesterday, Virginia defeated Wake Forest 6-1 in the first match of a doubleheader. Virginia's only loss came at the No. 1 position, where junior Michael Shabaz lost to Wake Forest's Steven Foreman 4-6, 6-4, 6-3. But by the time Shabaz walked off the court, the overall victory had already been decided.

"They are a talented team, and it was good to get a win at home," Barrick said of Sunday's match against Wake Forest. "It's always good to get a 6-1 win ... and I'm sure we'll see them down the road."\nThe team then took on Hampton in the second match of the doubleheader. Boland chose to rest the team's starters during the match and rely on his young players to earn the 8-0 victory.

The pair of Sunday wins for the Cavaliers also came during senior day, which featured Lee Singer and Houston Barrick in the team's last home matches in the regular season.

"For the regular season, it was nice to go out with a [win]," said Singer, who is a team co-captain.

Large crowds came out in support of the Cavaliers during senior day, and Boland expressed gratitude for fans' continued support.

"We appreciate everything they've done for us during the regular season, and we certainly hope we get the opportunity to host a postseason tournament" so that the crowd can come out again, coach Brian Boland said.

The team looks to finish off the ACC season on a high note and hold on to its top national ranking heading into the NCAA postseason tournament.

"We're healthy, energized, and we continue to get better with every day," Boland said. "I think we're in a good place right now."

Next weekend, the team will square off against Georgia Tech and Clemson to finish off the regular ACC season. The first round of the ACC tournament in Cary, N.C. will begin April 22.

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