Virginia Downs Fairleigh Dickinson 4-0 in NCAA First Round
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CHARLOTTESVILLE Top-seeded Virginia opened play in the 2008 NCAA Tournament with a 4-0 victory over Fairleigh Dickinson Saturday morning at the Snyder Tennis Center. The Cavaliers needed just an hour and 45 minutes to advance to Sunday’s second round against the Penn State.
Due to the forecast of rain on Sunday afternoon, the second round match has been moved to 11 a.m. at the Snyder Tennis Center.
“After a three-week break, it was good to get out and compete again,” said head coach Brian Boland. “The conditions weren’t perfect today, but we worked through it. I was impressed with Fairleigh Dickinson. They were well prepared, came ready to play and did well, especially in doubles.”
The Cavaliers (29-0) opened the match by taking the doubles point. Houston Barrick (Brentwood, Tenn.) and Sanam Singh (Chandigarh, India) topped Priit Gross and Kyle Eddins 8-1 at the No. 3 position. The top-ranked team of Somdev Devvarman (Chennai, India) and Treat Huey (Alexandria, Va.) clinched the opening point with an 8-2 win at No. 1 doubles over Matt Gordon and Josh Girling.
In singles, it was the bottom of the lineup that wrapped up the match quickly. Ted Angelinos (Athens, Greece) cruised to a 6-0, 6-2 win at No. 6 singles over Keiichiro Adachi to make the score 2-0. Singh completed a 6-0, 6-0 win over Gross at No. 4 singles and a minute later Michael Shabaz (Fairfax, Va.) downed Eddins 6-1, 6-3 at No. 5 singles to clinch the match.
“In any tournament, the first round is going to be difficult,” said Boland. “No matter what the talent difference might be, you still need to adjust to tournament play. I was pleased with how our team responded and look forward to another tough match tomorrow.”
For the Knights (12-9), it was the second consecutive year they fell in the first round to the tournament’s No. 1 seed. Last year, Fairleigh Dickinson fell 4-0 to top-seeded and eventual National Champion Georgia.
“Playing Georgia last year gave us an idea of what to expect against Virginia this season,” said FDU head coach Ira Miller. “Their strength is their depth. My guys at the bottom aren’t used to playing guys that are that tough. We seem to be good luck for whoever we play in the first round, so we will see if that’s the case for Virginia this year.”
The winner of Sunday’s second round match will advance to the NCAA Round of 16, beginning next week in Tulsa, Okla. The Cavaliers will be looking to reach the Round of 16 for the fifth consecutive season.
No. 1 Virginia 4, Fairleigh Dickinson 0
Doubles:
1. #1 Devvarman/Huey (UVa) def. Gordon/Girling (FDU) 8-2
2. Shabaz/Inglot (UVa) led Stephen/Blanco (FDU) 7-3 DNF
3. Barrick/Singh (UVa) def. Gross/Eddins (FDU) 8-1
Singles:
1. #1 Somdev Devvarman (UVa) led Philip Stephen (FDU) 6-2, 0-1 DNF
2. #28 Treat Huey (UVa) led Matt Gordon (FDU) 5-4 DNF
3. #17 Dominic Inglot (UVa) led Josh Girling (FDU) 6-3, 2-0 DNF
4. Sanam Singh (UVa) def. Priit Gross (FDU) 6-0, 6-0
5. Michael Shabaz (UVa) def. Kyle Eddins (FDU) 6-1, 6-3
6. Ted Angelinos (UVa) def. Keiichiro Adachi (FDU) 6-0, 6-2
Order of Finish: Doubles- 3,1 Singles- 6,4,5
Records: Virginia (29-0), Fairleigh Dickinson (12-9)
Attendance: 381
No. 39 Penn State 4, No. 27 VCU 0
Doubles:
1. #32 James/Lynch (PSU) def. #51 Lindgren/Ripoll (VCU) 8-4
2. Dwyer/Bourchier (PSU) led Charron/Delemark (VCU) 5-2 DNF
3. Slagter/St. Maurice (PSU) def. Schulhauser/Siska (VCU) 8-6
Singles:
1. #60 Michael James (PSU) def. Martin Schulhauser (VCU) 6-0, 6-2
2. Adam Slagter (PSU) def. Thibaut Charron (VCU) 6-3, 6-4
3. Brendan Lynch (PSU) led Damien Lacombe (VCU) 6-4, 3-5 DNF
4. James Dwyer (PSU) def. Emil Lindgren (VCU) 6-3, 6-1
5. Alex Israel (VCU) led Eddie Bourchier (PSU) 6-3, 5-1 DNF
6. Sebastien Ripoll (VCU) led Guillaume St. Maurice (PSU) 6-3, 3-6, 1-0 DNF
Order of Finish: Doubles- 1,3 Singles- 4,1,2
Records: Penn State (16-11), VCU (19-8)