No. 2 Virginia men’s tennis — the No. 3 seed in the NCAA Tournament — hosted the first two rounds of the NCAA Tournament this weekend at the Boar's Head Resort in Charlottesville. Having prepared for this moment all season, the Cavaliers (24-5, 12-0 ACC) easily dominated over NJIT (19-6, 0-0 AEC) Friday and VCU (16-10, 2-0 Atlantic 10) Saturday to secure a spot in the Round of 16.
Match 1 — Virginia 4, NJIT 0
Virginia headed over to Boars Head Resort Friday afternoon to face NJIT. The Cavaliers knew that in order to make it to the championships, they had to find the balance between fighting to advance to the next round and saving enough energy for the next opponents — and that is exactly what they did when facing the Highlanders.
Doubles play opened at 4 p.m., and Virginia started strong, with senior Chris Rodesch and senior Jeffrey von der Schulenburg winning 6-3 on court two. Graduate student James Hopper and senior Iñaki Montes de la Torre quickly followed and won 6-4 on the top doubles court. With the doubles point clinched, freshman Dylan Dietrich and senior Alexander Kiefer left their match on court three unfinished to prepare for their singles matchups.
Singles play opened up after doubles play was over, and Virginia made sure to leave no room for NJIT to tie up the match. Kiefer dominated on court five, winning 6-3 in the first set and completely shutting out his opponent, junior Oscar Callo van Platen, 6-0 in the second set to make the overall score 2-0.
Dietrich widened the gap with a 6-4, 6-3 victory on court three, and Montes clinched the match for Virginia by winning 6-2, 6-1 on court two. With the victory under their belts, the Cavaliers and the Highlanders left the other matches unfinished so Virginia can have a break before its next match Saturday afternoon.
Match 2 — Virginia 4, VCU 0
The Cavaliers returned to Boars Head Resort Saturday ready to face the Rams. Due to inclement weather, the matches were played on the indoor courts.
Unlike the faceoff against NJIT, securing the doubles point for Virginia was much closer Saturday. Rodesch and Schulenburg were defeated by their opponents — senior Matisse Bobichon and freshman Hamza el Amine — 4-6 on court two. Montes and Hopper fought hard on court one, and they not only tied up the doubles matches with a 6-4 win on the top court but also gave Hopper his 150th victory in his collegiate career.
It came down to court three to determine the first point of the match. Dietrich and Kiefer fought hard and managed to win 7-6 after they had to go to a tiebreaker. With the doubles point clinched, play moved to the singles matches, where Virginia was hoping the scores would not be as close.
Fortunately for the Cavaliers, singles play quickly showed that they were going to pull ahead. Both Rodesch and Schulenburg redeemed themselves after dropping their doubles match. Schulenburg won in straight sets on court four — dominating 6-1, 6-2 to give Virginia its second point. Rodesch finished soon after and kept VCU off the scoreboard with a 7-5, 6-2 victory on the top court.
All the Cavaliers needed now was one more victory to secure them a spot in the NCAA Round of 16. Sophomore Mans Dahlberg was the next to finish and also won his match on court six in straight sets, going 6-3, 6-1 to give Virginia the victory. With the results of the matchup determined, the rest of the singles courts were left unfinished so the Cavaliers could prepare for the upcoming faceoffs that are going to become increasingly competitive as they progress through the tournament. Coach Andres Pedroso was proud of the team’s performance and how they kept the energy high.
“Congrats to VCU on a great season — they’re always tough to compete against and they’re always scrappy and gritty,” Pedroso said. “I have a lot of respect for that program. And they gave us all we can handle in doubles. I am really proud of Dylan Dietrich and Alex Kiefer for pulling that out. That gave us some momentum. And guys rode that momentum and finished strong at the end in singles.”
Virginia does not have to go back on the road just yet, as it will be hosting South Carolina for the NCAA Super Regional Friday at the Virginia Tennis Facility at 4 p.m., and tickets to attend the match are free.
The Cavaliers faced the Gamecocks earlier this season and fell to them when South Carolina was ranked No. 5. Since then, though, the Gamecocks have fallen to No. 16 while Virginia is currently ranked No. 2. Friday will be the perfect opportunity for the Cavaliers to get their revenge, beginning at 4 p.m.
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