Back at Boar’s Head Sports Club after a win over No. 12 Columbia Friday, No. 2 Virginia welcomed Vanderbilt for its second to last matchup before the ITA Team Indoor Championships Sunday afternoon. The match doubled as a homecoming for Vanderbilt head coach Scott Brown, whose tenure in Charlottesville spanned more than a decade and coincided with one of the most dominant stretches in program history. Extending their undefeated season, the Cavaliers (6-0, 0-0 ACC) took down the Commodores (5-2, 0-0 SEC) 6-1 in a dual that ultimately lasted over three hours.
Now in his third season as Vanderbilt’s coach, Brown’s return to Charlottesville was a meaningful one. First joining Virginia as a volunteer assistant in 2010 then later becoming associate head coach in 2019, Brown played an instrumental part in a period of Virginia men’s tennis that saw the program win multiple national championships, ACC titles and develop a handful of players into high-level professionals on the tour. This year, Brown’s Commodores already have a pair of strong wins over Northwestern and North Carolina — their only losses coming at the hands of No. 1 Wake Forest and now No. 2 Virginia.
After the match, Virginia Coach Andres Pedroso was quick to laud the visitors, praising both Vanderbilt’s performance and Brown’s impact on the program.
“Vanderbilt really competed well,” Pedroso said. “It was so great to have Vanderbilt Head Coach Scott Brown back in Charlottesville. As expected, he’s doing amazing things with that team, and there is no question that the best is yet to come for ‘Dores. It would be impossible to find a better leader than Scott for the journey they are on as a collective group.”
After welcoming Brown back to the University, play commenced and the Cavaliers claimed the doubles point for the second time this weekend, taking care of business on all three courts.
At Line 2, junior Dylan Dietrich and sophomore Stiles Brockett leaned on energy and grit to wear down Vanderbilt senior Nathan Cox and junior Hugo Coquelin. The Virginia duo showcased impressive hustle, extending rallies and chasing down balls that forced errors from the Commodores, ultimately closing out a 6-4 victory to give Virginia a lead in doubles.
Rounding out the point at Line 3, sophomore Keegan Rice and freshman Andres Santamarta Roig matched Vanderbilt shot for shot before pulling away late. Playing with consistency, the pair earned a 6-4 win over Vanderbilt junior Danil Panarin and freshman Jack Satterfield, sealing the doubles point and giving the Cavaliers early control of the match.
Meanwhile, at Line 1, sophomore Jangjun Kim and senior Mans Dahlberg controlled the net and applied constant pressure against Vanderbilt sophomore Pablo Martinez Gomez and freshman Hoyoung Roh. Kim was especially effective up front, finishing points with clean volleys as Virginia built a 5-3 lead before play was stopped.
Virginia translated its early doubles momentum seamlessly into singles play, quickly putting distance between itself and the Commodores across the lineup.
At the top spot, No. 16 Dietrich wasted little time asserting control. The junior jumped out to a rapid 3-0 lead in the opening set, leaning on strong service games to keep Roh on the defensive. Dietrich cruised through the first set 6-1 and maintained his composure in the second, holding a 4-3 edge before closing out the 6-3 victory. His win was the first singles point on the board, extending Virginia’s lead to 2-0.
At Line 6, Dahlberg followed soon after with another steady performance. Dahlberg raced ahead 4-0 early, dictating play from the baseline before taking the first set 6-3 against Vanderbilt freshman Hwang Donghyun. He continued to apply pressure in the second, moving out to a 2-1 advantage and ultimately sealing a 6-3, 6-2 win to give the Cavaliers a 3-0 cushion.
At Court 5, Brockett battled Cox in a physical matchup. Brockett found himself down 2-3 early and dropped the first set 2-6, but raised his energy level in the second, briefly going up 3-2. Vanderbilt regained control, and Brockett ultimately fell 6-2, 6-3 — putting the Commodores on the board.
Court 3 then proved decisive, as Kim clinched the match with a composed and tactical showing against Panarin. The two engaged in extended backhand exchanges, where Kim made effective use of his slice to change pace and push his opponent deep behind the baseline. Kim dominated the first set 6-1 and carried that momentum into the second, building a 3-0 lead. With Assistant Coach Treat Huey encouraging him to stay aggressive, Kim held firm, closing out the match 6-1, 6-4 on a deuce point to secure the overall victory for the Cavaliers.
Santamarta Roig showed resilience on Court 4 after dropping the opening set. Down 5-2 early and ultimately losing the first, he reset in the second set, taking an early 2-1 lead and later moving ahead 4-3 as his energy and shot selection improved. Santamarta Roig captured the second set 6-4 and carried that momentum into the third set super tiebreak, where he pulled away a 10-5 win to push Virginia’s lead to 5-1.
The final match to finish came on Court 2, where No. 29 Rice was locked in a tight contest with No. 62 Martinez Gomez. With every other singles court already into or through a first set, Rice remained deadlocked at 3-3 and later 5-5 in a tense opener before edging out a 7-5 first-set win. After narrowly dropping the second set 7-6(5), Rice elevated his level in the super tiebreaker, pulling away for a 10-3 victory to close out the afternoon and seal the 6-1 result for Virginia.
With the victory, Virginia remains unbeaten this season, continuing to assert its depth across both doubles and singles courts. Virginia will look to carry that momentum on the road next weekend, as the Cavaliers travel to Columbus, Ohio to face No. 6 Ohio State Saturday afternoon. One of the best teams in the country, especially when playing indoors, the Buckeyes (6-0, 0-0 Big Ten) are coming off a clean 4-0 win over the Demon Deacons (6-1, 0-0 ACC), who were preseason favorites for the national title.
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