Story Links
CHARLOTTESVILLE The No. 1 Virginia men’s tennis team clinched at least a share of its sixth consecutive ACC regular season title when it shutout No. 39 North Carolina 7-0 Sunday afternoon before 502 fans at the Snyder Tennis Center. The Cavaliers improve to 24-0 overall and 9-0 in the ACC with the victory, while the Tar Heels fall to 14-7 (3-5 ACC).
“It was great to close out our regular season home schedule on such a beautiful day and in front our fans that once again made this an unbelievable environment to play in,” said Virginia head coach Brian Boland. “The crowd gave us a lot of energy and we played well overall. We are implementing some of the things we have been working on in practice. This was another step in the right direction for our team.”
The Cavaliers took the 1-0 lead by winning the doubles point. Houston Barrick (Brentwood, Tenn.) and Sanam Singh (Chandigarh, India) needed little time to dispatch of Andrew Crone and Alex Rafiee, 8-3 at No. 2. Drew Courtney (Clifton, Va.) and Lee Singer (Laguna Niguel, Calif.) clinched the opening point for the Cavaliers with their 8-5 win at No. 3 doubles over Brennan Boyajian and Zach Hunter.
Virginia carried the momentum from doubles into singles where they quickly clinched the dual match victory. Courtney cruised to a 6-2, 6-2 win over Luke Mojica at No. 5 singles to make the score 2-0. Singer added a 6-4, 6-2 win over Hunter at No. 6 singles to make the score 3-0. Michael Shabaz (Fairfax, Va.) gave the Cavaliers the dual match win as he completed his 6-2, 6-2 win over Crone at the No. 3 position. Singh then added a 6-4, 6-3 win over Taylor Fogleman at No. 2 singles. Dominic Inglot (London, England), playing on his senior day, rallied for a 5-7, 6-3, 10-7 win over Clay Donato at the top position. Barrick completed the sweep, rallying from down 5-2, in the third set for a 7-5, 2-6, 7-6 (2) win over Boyajian at No. 4 singles.
The win was also Virginia’s 40th consecutive win over an ACC opponent (regular season and tournament) and 47th consecutive home victory, extending both school records.
Virginia enters the final week of the regular season at 9-0 in the conference, with every other team having at least two ACC losses this season. The Cavaliers have now won at least a share of the ACC regular season title every season since 2004.
“What a honor to have in one of the best leagues in country,” said Boland. “We are proud of the accomplishment but also realize that we have a lot of work in front of us. I see us improving an awful lot in the upcoming weeks.”
The Cavaliers will conclude their regular season schedule next weekend as they visit Wake Forest and NC State.
No. 1 Virginia 7, No. 39 North Carolina 0
Doubles
1. #27 Donato/Fogleman (UNC) def. #14 Inglot/Shabaz (UVa) 8-5
2. #6 Barrick/Singh (UVa) def. Crone/Rafiee (UNC) 8-3
3. Singer/Courtney (UVa) def. Boyajian/Hunter (UNC) 8-5
Singles
1. #17 Dominic Inglot (UVa) def. #35 Clay Donato (UNC) 5-7, 6-3, 10-7
2. #25 Sanam Singh (UVa) def. #53 Taylor Fogleman (UNC) 6-4, 6-3
3. #20 Michael Shabaz (UVa) def. Andrew Crone (UNC) 6-2, 6-2
4. #73 Houston Barrick (UVa) def. Brennan Boyajian (UNC) 7-5, 2-6, 7-6 (2)
5. Drew Courtney (UVa) def. Luke Mojica (UNC) 6-2, 6-2
6. #82 Lee Singer (UVa) def. Zach Hunter (UNC) 6-4, 6-2
Order of Finish
Doubles: 2,3,1
Singles: 5,6,3,2,1,4
Attendance: 502