Returning to the Boar’s Head Sports Club for its first home matches of the spring season, No. 2 Virginia delivered a statement pair of wins at the ITA Kickoff Weekend, defeating Indiana 4-1 on Friday before sweeping Michigan 4-0 in Saturday’s championship match to remain undefeated and punch their ticket to the ITA National Team Indoor Championships.
Against the Hoosiers (2-2, 0-0 Big Ten), the Cavaliers (4-0, 0-0 ACC) wasted little time asserting itself in doubles. At Line 2, junior Dylan Dietrich and sophomore Stiles Brockett set the tone with a steady 6-4 win, capitalizing on clean first serves and aggressive net play. Moments later, the Cavaliers clinched the doubles point at Line 3, where senior Douglas Yaffa and sophomore Keegan Rice cruised to a 6-2 victory, dictating play with sharp angles and quick points that kept Indiana scrambling. Play on the remaining court was halted once the doubles point was secured, with Virginia’s pairing of junior Mans Dahlberg and sophomore Jangjun Kim trailing Indiana junior Sam Landau and senior Jip van Assendelft 3-5 at Line 1 when the match was stopped.
This early momentum carried straight into singles.
At Line 6, Brockett was clinical with a quick 6-3, 6-2 victory against Indiana’s freshman Aidan Atwood. Brockett established control early, breaking Atwood’s serve in the opening games of both sets and dictating play from the baseline. His consistency in extended rallies and ability to redirect pace prevented Atwood from settling in, allowing Brockett to secure the Cavaliers’ second point and a 2-0 team lead.
Indiana picked up its lone point of the match at Line 5, where Indiana junior Ben Pomeranets defeated Dahlberg 6-4, 6-1. Despite moments of resistance, Dahlberg was unable to shift momentum as Indiana closed out the match in straight sets.
Kim delivered a key response for Virginia with a 6-3, 6-4 win over Indiana sophomore Braeden Gelletich at Line 4. Kim controlled the first set with heavy forehands and deep rally balls, then surged to a 5-1 lead in the second. When Gelletich fought back, Kim stayed composed, throwing in an occasional serve-and-volley point, and mixing in backhand slices and sharp inside-out forehands to push his opponent behind the baseline before closing out the match and restoring Virginia’s two point advantage.
With the match on the line, Rice clinched the victory for Virginia at Line 2, defeating van Assendelft in straight sets. Rice played a poised, methodical match, breaking serve late in both sets and maintaining a high first-serve percentage under pressure. His win sealed the Cavaliers’ 4-1 victory and set Virginia into the ITA Kickoff Weekend championship.
Play was halted on the remaining courts once the team result was decided. At Line 1 singles, Dietrich had battled through a tightly contested first set against Landau, taking it in a tiebreak before play was stopped early in the second.
At Line 3, freshman Andres Santamarta Roig had flipped momentum against Indiana junior Facundo Yunis, rebounding from a 6-1 first-set loss to take the second set before his match was suspended. Playing his first home match for Virginia, Santamarta Roig brought visible energy to the court, feeding off the crowd with a fiery, vocal presence as he surged through the second set 6-4.
Virginia again struck first in doubles Saturday morning against the Wolverines (1-2, 0-0 Big Ten), who were coming off their own win over Cornell. At Line 2, Dietrich and Brockett set the pace with a dominant 6-1 victory over Michigan senior Mert Oral and freshman Arnav Bhandari, breaking early and capitalizing on aggressive returns and quick points at the net.
The Cavaliers clinched the doubles point at Line 1, where Dahlberg and Kim earned a 6-4 win over Michigan’s No. 7 ranked pair of freshman Max Dahlin and senior Bjorn Swenson, holding firm in the closing games to give Virginia an early 1-0 lead. At Line 3, Virginia rolled out a new doubles pairing with Santamarta Roig teaming up with Rice. The duo was locked in a competitive battle with Michigan freshman Pierce Shaya and senior Nicholas Steiglehner at 5-4, when play was halted following the clinch.
Yet again, this momentum carried into singles play.
At Line 1, Dietrich picked up the first singles point for Virginia. He controlled play from the baseline and built a 6-3, 3-1 lead over Dahlin before the match was halted due to retirement, extending the Cavaliers’ advantage to 2-0.
Dahlberg followed with a commanding response at Line 5, cruising to a 6-1, 6-0 victory over Bhandari. Dahlberg dictated points from start to finish, striking cleanly, and denying Bhandari any opportunity to establish rhythm as Virginia moved within one point of the win.
Kim clinched the championship at Line 4, defeating Oral 6-0, 7-5. Kim raced through the opening set without dropping a game, then stayed composed through a tighter second set, absorbing pressure in extended rallies before closing out the match to secure Virginia’s spot at the ITA National Team Indoor Championships.
Play was halted on the remaining courts once the team result was decided. At Line 2, Rice was locked in a first-set battle with Swenson, holding a 7-5, 1-1 edge when play was stopped. At Line 3, Santamarta Roig had split sets with Steiglehner, while at Line 6, Brockett held a narrow advantage late in the second set against Shaya when matches were suspended.
With the two wins, Virginia remained undefeated in the season and successfully defended home court in its first matches of the spring. The Cavaliers continued their strong tradition at ITA Kickoff Weekend while securing a spot at the ITA National Team Indoor Championships, a sixteen-team dual match tournament held in Texas Feb. 13-17. The Cavaliers will look to carry that momentum forward next weekend, returning to the indoor courts at the Boar’s Head Sports Club to host No. 13 Columbia Friday at 5 p.m.
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