No. 1 Virginia continued its undefeated run through conference play with a 4-1 victory over No. 21 NC State Friday afternoon at the J.W. Isenhour Tennis Center, avenging last season’s narrow 4-3 loss to the Wolfpack (14-2, 6-1 ACC) and flipping the script in a key ACC matchup.
The Cavaliers (15-2, 7-0 ACC) secured the doubles point and won three singles matches to clinch their seventh ACC victory of the season, showcasing their deep lineup in an away match.
Virginia came out sharp in doubles play, setting the tone early with two strong wins.
On Court 2, senior Mans Dahlberg and sophomore Jangjun Kim, ranked No. 31 nationally as a pairing, faced NC State freshman Charlie Camus and sophomore William Manning in a tightly contested set. Both teams held serve through much of the match, with long baseline exchanges and solid net play from both sides. Dahlberg and Kim remained steady under pressure, particularly in deuce games, and capitalized on a late break to take the set 7-5.
Then, No. 11 pair of junior Dylan Dietrich and sophomore Stiles Brockett delivered a 6-4 win over NC State’s No. 21-ranked pair of senior Martin Borisiouk and sophomore Jules Leroux on Court 1. Dietrich and Brockett established control early with aggressive returns and quick poaches at the net, forcing errors from their opponents. Even as Borisiouk and Leroux attempted to extend rallies, Virginia maintained its intensity to close out the match and secure the doubles point.
On Court 3, the doubles match between Virginia’s pairing of freshman Andres Santamarta Roig and sophomore Keegan Rice and NC State freshman duo of Cody Benton and Ainius Sabaliauskas remained unfinished at 5-4. The match was close throughout, with both teams holding serve and engaging in quick exchanges at the net. Santamarta Roig and Rice showed strong communication and positioning, frequently looking to close points with aggressive poaching or up the line shots, while Benton and Sabaliauskas countered with solid returns to stay level.
Virginia’s singles lineup built on that momentum with a series of disciplined performances.
On Court 4, No. 42 Santamarta Roig was the most straightforward and clean performer of the day, defeating Sabaliauskas 6-3, 6-1. After playing at Line 3 in each of the past four matches, all of which he either won or had left unfinished, Santamarta Roig was shifted to Line 4 and still delivered energy and the first win. In his match, Santamarta Roig controlled the rhythm from the baseline, consistently hitting deep and heavy groundstrokes that forced Sabaliauskas to make errors. Santamarta Roig took advantage of weaker shots, and overall more dominant play, to take the match.
Soon after on Court 3, No. 110 Kim showed impressive resilience in his three-set win over Leroux. After dropping the first set 4-6, where Leroux dictated play with aggressive shot-making, Kim adjusted by extending rallies and throwing in more backhand slices. He began stepping into his forehand and applying pressure on return games, turning the match around to take the next two sets 6-3, 6-1.
On Court 6, senior Douglas Yaffa made his third appearance in spring dual matches, entering the lineup in place of Brockett. Yaffa battled NC State freshman Darius Pop in a physical match but ultimately fell 6-3, 7-6 (2). Yaffa struggled early with consistency, allowing Pop to dictate points and take control of the first set. As the match progressed, Yaffa settled in, improving his serve and extending rallies with more confidence from the baseline. He competed well in the second set, holding serve more comfortably and pushing the set to a tiebreak. Despite the late momentum, Pop remained steady under pressure and closed out the breaker to secure NC State’s lone point on the day.
The clinching point for the Cavaliers came on Court 1, where Dietrich, now ranked No. 2 after previously holding the top spot and currently behind SMU’s Trevor Svajada, faced No. 17 Borisiouk in a high-level battle. Borisiouk controlled much of the first set with aggressive baseline play, taking it quickly 6-3. Dietrich responded by tightening his groundstrokes and increasing his first serve percentage, allowing him to take control of shorter points and win the second set 6-3. In the third, both players traded momentum in extended rallies, but Dietrich’s composure in key moments and ability to step inside the baseline helped him close out the match 6-4, and capture the final point for Virginia’s victory.
Two additional matches remained unfinished. On Court 2, No. 12 Rice was locked in a battle with No. 88 Manning, having dropped a close first-set tiebreak 7-6 (4) and sitting at 3-3 in the second-set tiebreak when play was halted. On Court 5, Dahlberg’s match was left unfinished at 6-5 in the second set tiebreak, where he had stayed steady to keep pace with NC State’s Camus.
With the win, Virginia continued its undefeated streak in ACC play. That streak will, however, be tested Sunday, when the Cavaliers face No. 4 Wake Forest (21-2, 7-0 ACC) in Winston-Salem, N.C. in a top-five showdown and clash between two college tennis giants.
Last season, the top-ranked Demon Deacons’ depth proved difficult to overcome in the regular season, but the Cavaliers stunned the eventual national champions in the ACC Tournament, handing them their first, and only, loss of the year. With both teams once again among the nation’s best, Sunday’s matchup presents another opportunity for Virginia to prove itself as the No. 1 team against one of the deepest lineups in college tennis.
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