Virginia Downs VCU 4-0 to Advance to NCAA Round of 16

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. –  The Virginia men’s tennis team (24-5) advanced to the Round of 16 of the 2024 NCAA Men’s Tennis Championship with a 4-0 victory against VCU (16-10) on Saturday (May 4) on the indoor courts at the Boar’s Head Sports Club.

Virginia won the doubles point and took singles courts one, four and six in straight sets.

The Cavaliers will host South Carolina in a Super Regional next Friday, May 10, at the Virginia Tennis Facility at 4 p.m.

The match started with a tight doubles point. Senior Iñaki Montes and grad student James Hopper picked up a 6-4 win on the top court while VCU took court two 6-4. Court three came down to a tiebreaker with freshman Dylan Dietrich and senior Alex Kiefer winning 8-6 to take the point.

Hopper’s doubles victory was the 150th in his collegiate career.

In singles, senior Jeffrey von der Schulenburg cruised to a 6-1, 6-2 on court four to put UVA up 2-0. The rest of the courts were much tighter with two going to tiebreakers to decide first sets.

Senior Chris Rodesch won his first set 7-5 against Mathis Bondaz on the top court before taking the second 6-2 to put the Cavaliers ahead 3-0. Sophomore Måns Dahlberg closed out a 6-3, 6-1 win on court six to clinch the match.

Freshman Dylan Dietrich trailed 5-0 in his first set against Oscar Pinto Sansano on court three, but won six straight games to go up 6-5, before Pinto Sansano tied it up at 6-6. Dietrich won the breaker 7-5 to take the first set. The two were tied 1-1 in the second when play was abandoned.

Montes also won his first set in a tiebreaker, going up 6-0, before closing out a 7-2 win against Matisse Bobichon. Montes was up 1-0 in the second set when the match ended.

FROM HEAD COACH ANDRES PEDROSO

“Congrats to VCU on a great season. They’re always tough to compete against and they’re always scrappy and gritty. I have a lot of respect for that program. And they gave us all we can handle in doubles. I am really proud of Dylan Dietrich and Alex Kiefer for pulling that out. That gave us some momentum. And guys rode that momentum and finished strong at the end in singles.”

MATCH NOTES

• The Cavaliers have advanced to the NCAA Round of 16 in 18 of the last 19 championships
• Virginia is the No. 3 seed in the championship but is ranked No. 2 in the latest ITA team rankings
• James Hopper went 128-13 in his four seasons at NCAA III Case Western Reserve and is 22-13 this season in doubles for the Cavaliers
• VCU is No. 40 in the ITA Team Rankings
• Virginia is 19-11 all-time against VCU and has won the last 10 meetings. The Rams’ last win against UVA was in 2000

#2 Virginia 4, #40 VCU 0
Singles competition

1. #3 Chris Rodesch (VA) def. #57 MATHIS BONDAZ (VCU) 7-5, 6-2
2. #33 Inaki Montes (VA) vs. #120 MATISSE BOBICHON (VCU) 7-6 (2), 1-0, unfinished
3. #52 Dylan Dietrich (VA) vs. OSCAR PINTO SANSANO (VCU) 7-6 (5), 1-1, unfinished
4. #61 J vd Schulenburg (VA) def. ROMAIN GALES (VCU) 6-1, 6-2
5. Alexander Kiefer (VA) vs. HAMZA EL AMINE (VCU) 3-6, 4-1, unfinished
6. Mans Dahlberg (VA) def. GERMAN SAMOFALOV (VCU) 6-3, 6-1

Doubles competition

1. #5 Inaki Montes/James Hopper (VA) def. #47 GERMAN SAMOFALOV/OSCAR PINTO SANSANO (VCU) 6-4
2. MATISSE BOBICHON/HAMZA EL AMINE (VCU) def. Chris Rodesch/J vd Schulenburg (VA) 6-4
3. Dylan Dietrich/Alexander Kiefer (VA) def. ROMAIN GALES/MATHIS BONDAZ (VCU) 7-6 (8-6)

Order of finish: Doubles (2,1,3); Singles (4,1,6)
T-2:25 A-295