No. 2 seed Virginia opened its 2026 ITA National Team Indoor Championship run in dominant fashion Friday evening, blanking No. 16 Clemson 4-0 at the Styslinger/Altex Tennis Complex to punch a ticket to the quarterfinals.
The Cavaliers (7-1, 0-0 ACC), ranked No. 1 nationally, set the tone early in doubles and never looked back, improving to 7-1 on the season with the win. Clemson (3-3, 0-0 ACC) entered the weekend as the tournament’s No. 7 seed.
Virginia secured the doubles point with wins on Courts 2 and 3.
On Court 2, junior Mans Dahlberg and sophomore Jangjun Kim, ranked No. 23 nationally as a pair, delivered a 6-4 victory over Clemson’s junior Noa Vukadin and freshman Manuel Plunger. The Cavalier duo broke midway through the set and held firm, putting the Cavaliers one win away from the opening point.
Freshman Andres Santamarta Roig and sophomore Keegan Rice clinched moments later on Court 3, defeating freshman Yannic Nittmann and freshman Matisse Farzam 6-4. Rice and Santamarta Roig protected their serve throughout and sealed the match with steady net play to secure the 1-0 advantage.
Court 1 went unfinished, with sophomore Stiles Brockett and junior Dylan Dietrich locked at 6-6 (6-6) against Clemson’s No. 56 duo of sophomore Viktor Markov and freshman Henrik Bladelius when play was halted.
The decision to split up Dahlberg and Dietrich, the reigning NCAA Doubles Champions, has paid dividends early in the season. Rather than stacking the pair at the top of the lineup, Virginia Head Coach Andres Pedroso has opted to spread his experience across the doubles courts.
“I think it’s leadership,” Pedroso said. “Putting two guys who won the NCAA doubles title and sharing that experience and skill level with our whole doubles point rather than just keeping them at number one doubles, and so far it’s worked great. The other guys are playing better doubles because of it.”
Carrying momentum into singles, Virginia quickly tightened its grip on the match, taking three straight courts in decisive fashion.
On Court 1, Dietrich, ranked No. 2 nationally, defeated No. 67 Markov 6-3, 6-3. Dietrich absorbed Markov’s power early before shifting gears, stepping inside the baseline to redirect backhands and attack second serves. A break in each set proved sufficient, as Dietrich served efficiently and closed points at net when opportunities arose. The win marked his fifth victory over a ranked opponent this season and improved him to 7-0 in dual-match singles.
Dahlberg extended the lead to 3-0 on Court 6 with a 6-4, 6-2 win over sophomore Edoardo Lignière. Dahlberg weathered early pressure in a tight first set, counterpunching effectively and drawing errors with deep groundstrokes. Once he secured the opening set, he shifted to a more aggressive posture, flattening out his forehand and attacking short balls to take the second set.
The clincher came on Court 5, where Brockett defeated Bladelius 7-6(6), 6-0. The opening set was a physical battle, with long baseline exchanges and multiple service breaks. Brockett showed resilience in the tiebreak, saving set points with bold forehand winners and well-timed serve and volley play. After edging the breaker, momentum swung entirely. Brockett racked through the second set, striking freely off both sides and not conceding a single game to seal the 4-0 sweep.
The other three matches were left unfinished once the team result was decided.
On Court 2, Rice had dropped a tight first set 7-5 to Vukadin and trailed 3-2 in the second. Rice leaned on his serve but struggled to convert key break points in extended deuce games.
On Court 3, Santamarta Roig was down 3-6, 1-4 against Farzam, with Farzam dictating play through early ball striking and aggressive returns.
On Court 4, Kim split sets with junior Marko Mesarovic, winning the first set 6-3 behind steady baseline consistency before falling 6-4 in the second as Mesarovic began taking the ball earlier and stepping inside the court.
Less than 24 hours later, Virginia was back on the same courts, this time facing a steeper challenge. After cruising past Clemson, the Cavaliers were tested early against No. 6 Mississippi State but rebounded from an early doubles deficit by claiming four straight singles matches. Mississippi State (7-1, 0-0 SEC), the tournament’s No. 3 seed, struck first but could not match Virginia’s depth across the lineup.
On Court 2, the Bulldogs’ senior Mario Martinez Serrano and senior Michal Novansky defeated Dahlberg and Kim 6-3. Mississippi State controlled the tempo early, applying pressure with aggressive returns and decisive net play to earn the first break and maintain the lead.
Virginia answered on Court 3, where Rice and Santamarta Roig battled to a 6-4 victory over sophomore Bryan Hernandez Cortes and freshman Raphael Vaksmann. Rice held comfortably behind a strong first serve, and at 5-4, the Cavalier duo capitalized on a tight service game to break and even the doubles tally.
The point came down to Court 1. Brockett and Dietrich faced Mississippi State’s No. 6-ranked pair of senior Benito Sanchez Martinez and senior Petar Jovanovic. Serving at 5-4, Virginia fell behind 0-40 but clawed back to deuce. Mississippi State eventually leveled at 5-5, and in a pivotal late-game exchange, Sanchez Martinez intercepted a high volley and fired a winner past Dietrich at the net to secure the decisive break. The Bulldogs closed the set 7-5 to take a 1-0 team lead.
Carrying urgency into singles, Virginia quickly shifted momentum.
On Court 5, Brockett leveled the match with a dominant 6-1, 6-0 win over junior Roberto Ferrer Guimaraes. Brockett dictated from the beeline with heavy forehands and stepped inside the court to finish points early, conceding just one game to tie the score at 1-1.
No. 15 Rice then delivered a dominant performance on Court 2, defeating No. 6 Jovanovic 6-3, 7-6(1). Rice controlled the first set with disciplined serve, plus one patterns and precise backhand angles. The second set was tighter as Jovanovic elevated his aggression, but Rice surged in the tiebreak, racing to a 7-1 finish behind sharp serving and shot-making. The victory marked his fourth ranked win of the season and gave Virginia its first lead of the afternoon.
On Court 3, Santamarta Roig showcased composure in a 6-4, 7-5 victory over No. 33 Martinez Serrano. After claiming the first set through steady depth and counterpunching, Santamarta Roig trailed 5-2 in the second. Refusing to back down, he extended rallies and forced errors to claw back. At 4-5, he ripped a forehand winner to spark the comeback, eventually leveling at 5-5 before breaking and serving out the match to extend Virginia’s lead to 3-1.
The clincher came on Court 6, where Dahlberg secured a gritty 6-2, 4-6, 6-4 win over Novansky. Dahlberg controlled the opening set with aggressive returning and early ball striking. After dropping the second as Novansky began to dictate play, Dahlberg steadied in the decider. Leading 5-3, he managed the baseline exchanges with patience and closed out the match with a composed service hold to seal the 4-1 victory.
The remaining matches were left unfinished once the team result was decided.
On Court 1, Dietrich captured the first set 6-4 against No. 45 Sanchez Martinez but saw the Bulldog rally from a 0-5 deficit to steal the second set 7-5. Dietrich led 3-3 in the third set when play was halted.
On Court 4, Kim won the opening set 6-4 against Vaksmann and forced a second-set tiebreak. Kim tied the breaker at 7-7 with a service winner but ultimately fell 9-7 after a wide backhand and forehand in the net. The third set stood at 1-1 when play was stopped.
With back-to-back victories over Clemson and Mississippi State, Virginia advances to Monday’s semifinal against No. 1 seed Ohio State. The last time these programs faced off, Virginia traveled to Columbus Feb. 7 and suffered a 5-2 loss to the Buckeyes, marking its first defeat of the season. Now, with momentum building at the right time, the Cavaliers will look to flip the script when they take the court at 4:30 p.m. EST at the Styslinger/Altec Tennis Complex as they continue their pursuit of an ITA Indoor national title.
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