Cavalier Men's Tennis Tops Florida State in ACC Quarterfinals
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April 16, 2004
RALEIGH, NC – The No. 10 ranked Virginia men’s tennis team advanced to the semifinals of the ACC Tournament with a 4-1 win over No. 44 Florida State Friday afternoon during quarterfinal play at the Millbrook Exchange Tennis Center. With the win, second-seeded Virginia (20-3) advances to the semifinals for the first time since 1998 and posts a 20-win season for the second consecutive season.
The Cavaliers took the early advantage in the dual match by rallying to take the doubles point. After the Seminoles had won at No. 2 doubles, Virginia rallied to win the other two doubles matches. Marko Miklo (Bratislava, Slovakia) and Stephen Rozek (Chardon, Ohio) downed Joe Bassett and Chip Webb at No. 3. Then, with the doubles point in the balance, No. 31 ranked team of Rylan Rizza (Rancho Palos Verdes, Calif.) and Nick Meythaler (Owensboro, Ky.) rallied to beat No. 19 ranked Jeff Groslimond and Chris Westerhof 9-8 to clinch the point.
In singles, Virginia extended the lead to 2-0 when Darrin Cohen (Lafayette, Calif.) completed a 6-3, 6-1 win over Joao Paolo Bounassar at No. 6. Florida State cut the lead in half with Webb’s win over Rozek at No. 4. Then Rizza defeated Westerhof 6-2, 6-4 at No. 2 before Meythaler clinched the match with his 6-3, 6-1 win over Jarrod Owen at No. 5. The last two matches were unfinished.
“Florida State is a great team and give them credit for fighting hard,” said head coach Brian Boland. “I thought winning the doubles match was key and gave us a lot of momentum into singles. I hope we can continue to play better as the tournament progresses.”
The Cavaliers will play the winner of No. 6 Duke and No. 38 Wake Forest in Saturday’s semifinal round. The match will begin at 1:00 p.m.
No. 10 Virginia 4, No. 44 Florida State 1
Singles:
1. No. 21 Doug Stewart (UVa) vs. No. 18 Mat Cloer (FSU) DNF
2. Rylan Rizza (UVa) def. Chris Westerhof (FSU) 6-2, 6-4
3. Marko Miklo (UVa) vs. Jeff Groslimond (FSU) DNF
4. Chip Webb (FSU) def. Stephen Rozek (UVa) 6-1, 6-1
5. Nick Meythaler (UVa) def. Jarrod Owen (FSU) 6-3, 6-1
6. Darrin Cohen (UVa) def. Joao Paolo Bounassar (FSU) 6-3, 6-1
Doubles:
1. No. 31 Rizza/Meythaler (UVa) def. No. 19 Groslimond/Westerhof (FSU) 9-8
2. Cloer/Owen (FSU) def. Cohen/Stewart (UVa) 8-3
3. Rozek/Miklo (UVa) def. Bassett/Webb (FSU) 8-4