Cavaliers Put Themselves in Elite Company AgainCavaliers Put Themselves in Elite Company Again

Cavaliers Put Themselves in Elite Company Again

For the 19th time in the past 21 NCAA men's tennis tournaments, Virginia has advanced to the quarterfinal round.

By Jeff White (jwhite@virginia.edu)
VirginiaSports.com

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. — So consistently does the University of Virginia men’s tennis team win, year in and year out, that head coach Andres Pedroso could take it for granted. He doesn’t.

Every season brings new challenges, Pedroso knows, and winning isn’t easy. But the Cavaliers almost always put themselves in position to contend for championships, and this season is no exception.

With a 4-1 victory over No. 13 seed South Carolina on Friday night, No. 4 seed UVA advanced to the NCAA quarterfinals for the 19th time in the past 21 tournaments.

Virginia (25-4) will face No. 5 seed Mississippi State or No. 12 seed Georgia on Thursday in Athens, Ga. Those teams meet in the NCAA tournament’s third round Saturday afternoon in Starkville, Miss.

The Wahoos are looking to leave Athens, where they won the NCAA title in 2017, with the program’s seventh crown. They’ve won two NCAA championships (2022 and ’23) under Pedroso.

Virginia’s lineup this year consists of senior Måns Dahlberg, junior Dylan Dietrich, sophomores Keegan Rice, Jangjun Kim and Stiles Brockett, and freshman Andres Santamarta Roig. It’s impossible to know for sure what will unfold in Athens, but “we’re in the mix,” Pedroso said after his team’s Sweet Sixteen victory at the Virginia Tennis Facility at the Boar’s Head Resort.

“This is the tournament where we play our best tennis every single year, and we're looking forward to Athens. Again, this is what Virginia does. They show up to the Elite Eight and make a push.”

In its first five postseason matches this spring—three in the ACC tournament and two in the NCAAs—UVA won the doubles point only once. So shoring up that area was a point of emphasis as the Hoos prepared to face the Gamecocks (18-9).

“We took a really close look at it last week, probably the closest look we've taken at our doubles,” Pedroso said, “and I think you saw a difference there. So I’m proud of the guys for trusting the coaches and trusting the plan, and I thought they played well across the board.”

Two of the doubles matches finished within seconds of each other, and Virginia took both. At No. 2, Santamarta Roig and Kim won 6-2, and Brockett and Rice prevailed 6-3 at No. 3. On court No. 1, Dahlberg and Dietrich, the reigning NCAA doubles champions, were leading 5-3 when the point was clinched.

“We’ve been putting in a lot of work every day just to get better,” Rice said. “We want the ball, we want to be active with the net, and we want to go and win the doubles matches. I think that's kind of been the key, to go out and win it. And that's kind of just accumulating each day in practice. We're getting more confidence in our partners, and I guess it showed up today.”

In singles, Rice was the only Cavalier to win his first set. That the Gamecocks fought back didn’t surprise Pedroso. He said he told his players “after doubles that I can guarantee them one thing, that South Carolina is going to fight like hell and they're going to respond from that doubles point. And that's what they did.”

There was no panic among the Cavaliers. At No. 2 singles, Rice won in straight sets to push their lead to 2-0, and each of his teammates won his second set, too.

“Everyone fights so hard for this team,” Brockett said. “You could feel the other guys' energy from across the courts. We all gave each other energy and gave ourselves a chance.”

Pedroso said: “I feel like the longer the match goes, the better our team gets. I think we got off to a little bit of a slow start on a couple of courts, and they just kept their composure and just kept competing. And that's what these guys have done all year.”

Stiles BrockettStiles Brockett

Brockett’s victory on court No. 5 made it 3-0. South Carolina won at No. 4, after which Kim clinched the match for the Hoos by winning at No. 3.

As a freshman, Brockett wasn’t in the lineup for the Cavaliers’ NCAA matches, and to be contributing this year “means so much to me,” he said Friday.

Growing up in Fairfax, Brockett was well aware of Virginia’s tradition in this sport, and “being able to play on this team is such a privilege,” he said. “It’s amazing playing for these coaches, and playing for this university is something that's only a dream.”

Brockett’s development is “a big reason why we've been a top-five team all year,” Pedroso said. “He stepped up into a role that he needed to earn, and he's earned it. And so we're really proud of him. It's all hard work and maturity and just growing up and becoming a man and a professional.”

In 2025, UVA’s season ended with a loss to TCU in the NCAA quarterfinals in Waco, Texas. Rice, who’s from Canada, hasn’t forgotten how devastating that defeat was for the Cavaliers whose college eligibility ended that year, including his doubles partner, James Hopper.

Seeing their emotions “after the match just makes me more hungry and motivated to be able to win it [for UVA’s seniors his year],” Rice said.

On a sparkling spring evening, an overflow crowd turned out to cheer on the Hoos on Friday, including UVA president Scott Beardsley, who sat courtside. Among those in the stands was Hopper, whose wit was on full display as he shared a steady stream of comments in his booming voice.

“He's very creative, so he's very useful,” Rice said, laughing. “I wouldn't say as useful as he was on the court last year, but he's definitely a special piece of this program.”

The match was the Cavaliers’ last of the season at the Boar’s Head, and they couldn’t have asked “for a better crowd,” Brockett said. “All the stands were packed. I couldn't see a single open seat for almost all the match. To have everyone come out and support us is amazing.”

Pedroso agreed.

“Thank you to Wahoo Nation, Charlottesville, tennis lovers,” he said. “You guys make it really special to play at home. So thank you to the whole tennis community for coming out and supporting us.”

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Keegan RiceKeegan Rice