No. 7 Virginia Downs FDU 4-0 in NCAA First Round

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. –  The No. 7 Virginia men’s tennis team (23-5) opened play at the 2022 NCAA Men’s Tennis Team Championship with a 4-0 victory against Fairleigh Dickinson (10-12) on Friday (May 6) on the indoor courts of the Boar’s Head Sports Club.

The Cavaliers will face VCU (22-6) on Saturday at 4 p.m. at the Virginia Tennis Facility in the tournament’s second round.

Senior Gianni Ross and sophomore Jeffrey von der Schulenburg opened the match with a 6-2 win on the third doubles court. Grad student Bar Botzer and sophomore Chris Rodesch clinched the point with a 6-3 victory on the top court.

In singles, Ross sailed through a 6-1, 6-0 win against Niclas Pietsch on court four. Rodesh and Botzer finished their matches on courts one and five within moments of one another, with Rodesch winning 6-1, 6-2 on court one and Botzer clinching with a 6-0, 6-1 victory on five.

FROM HEAD COACH ANDRES PEDROSO

“Congratulations to Fairleigh Dickinson for a great season and a great showing. They always compete hard. I thought our guys were focused – all business out there. I tell them to take it just one match at a time. Just try and be the most prepared and go out there. Understand you’ve done the work, be at peace with it and fight as hard as you can.”

MATCH NOTES

• The match lasted 1:27
• UVA won all six first sets and was leading in the second set on two of the three remaining courts when play was halted
• This is the second straight year Virginia has opened the tournament with a 4-0 win against Fairleigh Dickinson
• VCU is ranked No. 31 in the latest ITA team rankings
• The Rams edged Penn 4-3 in their opening match in a three-hour battle on Friday afternoon

#7 Virginia 4, Fairleigh Dickinson 0

Singles competition

1. #30 Chris Rodesch (VA) def. PUKSE, Teodors (FDU) 6-1, 6-2
2. #45 J vd Schulenburg (VA) vs. DHOUIB, Mehdi (FDU) 6-4, 3-2, unfinished
3. #96 Ryan Goetz (VA) vs. SRIRAM, Arjun (FDU) 6-0, 4-1, unfinished
4. Gianni Ross (VA) def. PIETSCH, Niclas (FDU) 6-1, 6-0
5. Bar Botzer (VA) def. BUDINSZKY, Moric (FDU) 6-0, 6-1
6. Jackson Allen (VA) vs. ADNANE, Younes (FDU) 6-0, 2-4, unfinished

Doubles competition

1. #61 Bar Botzer/Chris Rodesch (VA) def. PUKSE, Teodors/PIETSCH, Niclas (FDU) 6-3
2. Ryan Goetz/Inaki Montes (VA) vs. DHOUIB, Mehdi/ADNANE, Younes (FDU) 4-3, unfinished
3. Gianni Ross/J vd Schulenburg (VA) def. SRIRAM, Arjun/BUDINSZKY, Moric (FDU) 6-2

Order of finish: Doubles (3,1); Singles (4,1,5)
NCAA Men’s Tennis Charlottesville Regional – First Round
T-1:27 A-142

HOW TO FOLLOW

• All matches will stream live on the TennisOne App
• Live scoring will be available through links posted on VirginiaSports.com

TICKET INFORMATION

• $5 for general admission and $3 for students with a valid ID per day
• Ages 2 and up are required to have a ticket
• Tickets will be available for purchase online, over the phone, or at the Bryant Hall ticket office and can be picked up at the courts