No. 5 Virginia Qualifies for ITA National Team Indoor Championship
CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – The No. 5 Virginia men’s tennis team defeated No. 19 Alabama 4-1 in the ITA Kickoff Weekend final on Sunday (Jan. 26) at the Boar’s Head Sports Club.
Junior Mans Dahlberg clinched the win for the Cavaliers (4-0) over the Crimson Tide (3-1), sending the Hoos to the ITA National Team Indoor Championship.
Freshmen Jangjun Kim and Rafael Jódar opened the match with an impressive 6-1 win on doubles court three. Freshman Keegan Rice and graduate student James Hopper followed with a 6-3 victory on doubles court two, putting Virginia up 1-0 to start the match.
Alabama tied the match with a straight-set win on the top court, but Hopper put Virginia back up front with a 6-4, 6-1 win on court four.
Kim extended the UVA lead to 3-1 over the Crimson Tide, dominating en route to a 6-4, 6-3 win on court six.
Dahlberg clinched the win for the Cavaliers on court five, cruising to a 6-4, 6-2 win and punching Virginia’s ticket to ITA indoors.
With the victory, the Cavaliers earn one of 16 slots in the field of the 2025 ITA National Team Indoor Championship, being held Feb. 13-17 in Texas.
The Cavaliers have won six ITA National Team Indoor Championships, including four straight from 2008 to 2011 and most recently in 2017 when the tournament was held in Charlottesville.
FROM HEAD COACH ANDRES PEDROSO
“It was a great weekend for our guys. I thought we came out with a sense of urgency today compared to yesterday. I don’t want to take any credit away from Boise State because they really took us down to the wire and battled the whole way yesterday, so I give a lot of credit to that program. They’re a dangerous team, and Alabama is as well. I thought the level of play and doubles was really good today from both teams. I was just really happy with the energy, the camaraderie, and just the look in the eye of our team today, especially after yesterday, having had a little bit of a tougher day. But yeah, happy to get through to Dallas.”
UP NEXT
- The undefeated Cavaliers are home again next weekend, taking on No. 3 Ohio State on Friday (Jan. 31) and No. 1 Texas on Sunday (Feb. 2)
#5 Virginia 4, #19 Alabama 1
Singles competition
- Filip Planinsek (UA) def. #57 Dylan Dietrich (VA) 6-4, 6-2
- Rafael Jodar (VA) vs. #67 Roan Jones (UA) 6-2, 6-6, unfinished
- Keegan Rice (VA) vs. Matias Ponce de Leon (UA) 7-5, 1-4, unfinished
- James Hopper (VA) def. Andrii Zimnokh (UA) 6-4, 6-1
- #86 Mans Dahlberg (VA) def. Matic Kriznik (UA) 6-2, 6-4
- Jangjun Kim (VA) def. Damien Nezar (UA) 6-4, 6-3
Doubles competition
- #92 Dylan Dietrich/Mans Dahlberg (VA) vs. Matic Kriznik/Filip Planinsek (UA) 4-5, unfinished
- Keegan Rice/James Hopper (VA) def. Damien Nezar/Andrii Zimnokh (UA) 6-3
- Jangjun Kim/Rafael Jodar (VA) def. Roan Jones/Matias Ponce de Leon (UA) 6-1
Order of finish: Doubles (3,2); Singles (1,4,6,5)
T-2:03 A-188