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Jan. 23, 2004
MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. – The No. 43 ranked Virginia men’s tennis team posted one of the biggest wins in school history Friday night, topping No. 15 Minnesota 4-3 at the Baseline Tennis Center in Minneapolis in the season opener for both teams. The win marked the highest ranked opponent the Cavaliers have ever defeated.
The Cavaliers (1-0) jumped out to an early 1-0 lead by taking the doubles point. The team of Nick Meythaler (Owensboro, Ky.) and Darrin Cohen (Lafayette, Calif.) cruised to a win at No. 3 before Marko Miklo (Bratislava, Slovakia) and Stephen Rozek (Chardon, Ohio) clinched the point with a win at No. 2.
Virginia then battled the Golden Gophers (0-1) in singles play, as the teams split the six matches. The Cavaliers got straight set wins by Doug Stewart (Malibu, Calif.) and Rylan Rizza (Rancho Palos Verdes, Calif.) at the No. 1 and No. 3 positions respectively. Minnesota won at No. 2, No. 4, and No. 6, which tied the score at 3-3 with one match remaining. At No. 5, Miklo rallied from losing the first set to defeat Caly Estes in three sets to clinch the match.
“It is early in the season, but this was a good way to start the season,” stated Virginia head coach Brian Boland. “Tonight was a battle. We still have a lot to work on and I look forward to watching this team develop.”
The Cavaliers return to action on Saturday in Minneapolis as they take on another Big Ten foe, No. 58 Northwestern. The match is set for 2:00 p.m. at the Baseline Tennis Center.
No. 43 Virginia 4, No. 15 Minnesota 3
Singles
1. No. 25 Doug Stewart (UVa) def. Aleksey Zharinov (Minn) 6-3, 6-4
2. No. 85 Chris Wettengel (Minn) def. No. 62 Stephen Rozek (UVa) 1-6, 6-3, 6-3
3. Rylan Rizza (UVa) def. Avery Ticer (Minn) 6-3, 7-6
4. Andres Osorio (Minn) def. Darrin Cohen (UVa) 6-2, 7-5
5. Marko Miklo (UVa) def. Clay Estes (Minn) 2-6, 6-2, 6-2
6. Brian Lipinski (Minn) def. Chris Gonyer (UVa) 7-6, 6-4
Doubles:
1. No. 50 Ticer/Estes (Minn) def. Rizza/Stewart (UVa) 9-7
2. Miklo/Rozek (UVa) def. Osorio/Lipinski (Minn) 8-6
3. Cohen/Meythaler (UVa) def. Zharinov/Wettengel (Minn) 8-1