Cavalier Men's Tennis Wins Second Consecutive ACC Title
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April 24, 2005
CARY, N.C. – The second ranked Virginia men’s tennis team captured its second consecutive ACC Championship with a 4-1 win over Florida State Sunday afternoon at the Cary Tennis Center. The Cavaliers completed an undefeated ACC season as they won their 17th consecutive match against a conference opponent.
“I am proud of the team for their performance throughout this tournament,” said Virginia head coach Brian Boland. “The ACC is one of the toughest conferences in the nation and to win consecutive titles, including going undefeated this season, is a tremendous accomplishment.”
The Cavaliers (24-2) took control of the match early by taking the doubles point. Darrin Cohen (Lafayette, Calif.) and Doug Stewart (Malibu, Calif.) recorded an 8-4 win over Jonathas Sucupira and Sam Chang at No. 3 doubles. Then Somdev Devvarman (Chennai, India) and Treat Huey (Alexandria, Va.) clinched the point with their 9-7 win over Jeff Groslimond and Chris Westerhof at No. 2 doubles. Nick Meythaler (Owensboro, Ky.) and Rylan Rizza (Rancho Palos Verdes, Calif.) led Mat Cloer and Ytai Abougzir 7-5 when their match was abandoned. Virginia also snapped the Seminoles’ streak of 18 consecutive doubles points won.
In singles, the Cavaliers’ advantage increased to 2-0 when Rizza cruised to a 6-1, 6-0 win over Sucupira at No. 3 singles. Tournament MVP Cohen made the score 3-0 when he dispatched of Chip Webb 6-1, 6-4 at No. 6 singles. Florida State got a point when Cloer defeated Stewart at No. 1 singles. Minutes later, Devvarman clinched the championship when he finished a 6-0, 6-1 win over Abougzir at No. 2 singles. The remaining two matches were abandoned with the Cavaliers leading in both.
“I thought we came out with a lot of energy in doubles and played well,” added Boland. “We know how Florida State has been extremely good in doubles this season and to open the match by taking doubles point gave us a lot of momentum. I am very pleased how well we used that momentum and got off to a great start in singles.”
The win was Virginia’s 24th win of the season, tying the school record for wins in a season set last year. Virginia has won 13 consecutive matches overall, also a school record.
The Cavaliers receive the ACC’s automatic berth to the NCAA Tournament as conference champions. The NCAA Tournament bracket will be announced on May 4 live on ESPNews between 4:30 and 5:00 p.m.
No. 2 Virginia 4, No. 25 Florida State 1
Doubles:
1. #17 Rizza/Meythaler (UVa) led #31 Cloer/Abougzir (FSU) 7-5 DNF
2. #47 Devvarman/Huey (UVa) def. #38 Groslimond/Westerhof (FSU) 9-7
3. Cohen/Stewart (UVa) def. Sucupira/Chang (FSU) 8-4
Singles:
1. #29 Mat Cloer (FSU) def. #15 Doug Stewart (UVa) 6-1, 6-3
2. #26 Somdev Devvarman (UVa) def. Ytai Abougzir (FSU) 6-0, 6-1
3. #44 Rylan Rizza (UVa) def. Jonathas Sucupira (FSU) 6-1, 6-0
4. Treat Huey (UVa) led Chris Westerhof (FSU) 6-3, 4-4 DNF
5. #109 Marko Miklo (UVa) led Jeff Groslimond (FSU) 6-4, 0-2 DNF
6. #68 Darrin Cohen (UVa) def. Chip Webb (FSU) 6-1, 6-4