Virginia Downs Columbia 4-0 to Reach NCAA Quarterfinals
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Box Score May 14, 2015
WACO, Texas – The third-ranked Virginia men’s tennis team reached the NCAA quarterfinals for the 11th consecutive year by downing No. 17 Columbia 4-0 in a round of 16 match Thursday at the Hawkins Indoor Tennis Center on the campus of Baylor University. The Cavaliers (26-3) will play sixth-seeded Texas A&M in Saturday’s quarterfinals, while the Lions end their season at 16-6.
Virginia’s streak of 11 consecutive quarterfinal appearances is the longest active streak in the nation. With a win on Saturday, the Cavaliers would advance to the semifinals for the eighth time in the past nine years.
“The first match of any tournament is always a challenge,” said head coach Brian Boland. “To Columbia’s credit, they kept battling and they pushed us all the way across the board. We have had some adversity this year and the guys have learned how to stay composed and keep working through it. I was proud of how they got through this match.”
The Cavaliers opened the match by winning the doubles point to take a 1-0 lead. Collin Altamirano (Sacramento, Calif.) and J.C. Aragone (Yorba Linda, Calif.) rolled to an 8-3 win at No. 3 over Max Schnur and Bert Vancura. Ryan Shane (Falls Church, Va.) and Luca Corinteli (Alexandria, Va.) clinched the opening point with an 8-4 win over Winston Lin and Mike Vermeer at the No. 1 position.
Columbia rallied in singles and won three early first sets and had set points to win a fourth. Virginia regained momentum and took a 2-0 lead as Shane closed out a 6-3, 6-4 win at No. 1 singles. During the match, Shane overcame rolling his ankle on his first set point of the first set, which required a medical timeout.
“Ryan tweaked his ankle a little bit and still managed to get through that match,” said Boland. “That was very impressive. We believe he will be fine for Saturday. Thankfully we have a day off and that is only going to be to our advantage.”
Moments after Shane’s victory, Thai-Son Kwiatkowski (Charlotte, N.C.) extended the advantage to 3-0 with his 6-2, 7-6(6) win at No. 4 over Schnur.
“It was big for Thai to win that tiebreaker to close out the match,” said Boland. “That could have changed the momentum when it was clearly in our favor. Schnur has a big serve, especially indoors, so a third set there would have made things more interesting. Thai did a great job of staying composed and winning that match.”
At No. 3 singles, Altamirano saved two set points in the first set as Ashok Narayama served at 5-3. The opening set would go to a tiebreaker, which Altamirano took 7-0. He used the momentum from shutting out Narayama in the first-set breaker to blank him in the second set to post a 7-6(0), 6-0 victory and clinch the Cavaliers’ place in the quarterfinals.
“Even when we were down in some matches, the guys kept fighting,” said Boland. “That’s a testament to this team. These guys are some of the best fighters I have ever coached. They are never going away. They have great guts and I have enjoyed so much coaching them this year and that’s a big part of it. They just keep battling. They never let down. It’s a fun team to be around.”
Virginia’s quarterfinal against the Aggies is slated for 2 p.m. CT on Saturday at Baylor`s Hurd Tennis Center. Texas A&M defeated Ohio State 4-3 in the round of 16.
#3 VIRGINIA 4, #17 COLUMBIA 0
Doubles:
1. #2 Corinteli/Shane (UVa) def. #46 Lin/Vermeer (CU) 8-4
2. #42 Styslinger/Kwiatkowski (UVa) vs. #84 Narayana/Ignat (CU) 7-7 (0-0) DNF
3. Altamirano/Aragone (UVa) def. Schnur/Vancura (CU) 8-3
Order of Finish: 3,1
Singles:
1. #8 Ryan Shane (UVa) def. #17 Winston Lin (CU) 6-3, 6-4
2. #20 Mitchell Frank (UVa) vs. #108 Dragos Ignat (CU) 2-6, 6-2, 0-0 DNF
3. #77 Collin Altamirano (UVa) def. Ashok Narayana (CU) 7-6(0), 6-0
4. #19 Thai-Son Kwiatkowski (UVa) def. Max Schnur (CU) 6-2, 7-6(6)
5. Alexander Ritschard (UVa) vs. Mike Vermeer (CU) 3-6, 6-4, 2-0 DNF
6. J.C. Aragone (UVa) vs. Shawn Hadavi (CU) 2-6, 5-5 DNF
Order of Finish: 1,4,3