May 11, 2008

Virginia Tops Penn State to Reach NCAA Round of 16

CHARLOTTESVILLE - Top-seeded Virginia advanced to the round of 16 of the NCAA Tournament for the fifth consecutive year, defeating Penn State 4-0 Sunday in the second round match of the Charlottesville Regional. Neither the Nittany Lions nor the rain, which caused the match to be finished indoors, could stop the Cavaliers from posting their 30th victory of the season, tying the school record.

The Cavaliers (30-0) took control of the match early with a strong doubles performance. Sanam Singh (Chandigarh, India) and Houston Barrick (Brentwood, Tenn.) posted an 8-2 win over Adam Slagter and Guillaume St. Maurice at No. 3 singles. Somdev Devvarman (Chennai, India) and Treat Huey (Alexandria, Va.) clinched the opening point with an 8-2 win at No. 1 singles over Michael James and Brendan Lynch.

The Cavalier advantage was extended to 2-0 as Michael Shabaz (Fairfax, Va.) scored a 6-2, 6-1 win over Eddie Bourchier at the No. 5 position. It was the only singles match to be completed before the rain came about two hours into the match. After a short wait, both coaches agreed to move the conclusion of the match indoors.

UNC Advances to Round of Sixteen with 4-2 in over Duke

Chapel Hill, N.C. - The No. 12 seed North Carolina Tar Heels fulfilled their expectations as one of the top 16 seeds in the NCAA Championships on Sunday, defeating Duke 4-2 to advance to Tulsa, Okla. for the "Sweet Sixteen" of college men's tennis. It is the second time in the last three years UNC has advanced to the Final 16 of the NCAA Championships and the sixth time it has done so since the tournament went to a team format in 1977.

Even the adjustment from outdoor to indoor courts couldn't deter the regional hosts, as the uncertainty of where and when the match would be played due to dismal weather merely delayed UNC's second victory over Duke this season. The Tar Heels retain their point in the annual Carlyle Cup standings between the two teams. UNC has clinched this year's Carlyle Cup competition 18-8. The win means that the Tar Heels draw Mississippi, winners of its own regional, as their next opponent in the NCAA tournament.

Sunday's match drew the largest crowd the Tar Heels have had all season, as fans anticipating an intense match between the nearby rivals filled the Cone-Kenfield Tennis Center's second-floor seating prior to the match. The hosts didn't disappoint, either. Sophomores Clay Donato and Stefan Hardy opened up with an 8-5 win over Reid Carleton and Kiril Dimitrov that extended their win streak to 11 matches. That left two back-and-forth matches to decide the team point. Down 7-8 to 33rd-ranked David Goulet and Christopher Price at No. 1 doubles, the sixth-ranked duo of Taylor Fogleman and Chris Kearney mounted a comeback capped off by a 7-2 tiebreaker win that delivered a 1-0 team lead to UNC with six singles matches left to play.

• More from North Carolina
• More from Duke

No. 14 Florida State Men's Tennis Advances To Round Of 16 With 4-3 Win Over No. 62 South Alabama

Tallahassee, Fla.- The 14th-ranked Florida State men's tennis team swarmed teammate Clint Bowles after the freshman clinched the Seminoles second round victory against No. 62 South Alabama Sunday, May 11 at the Scott Speicher Tennis Center. The 4-3 win sent FSU to the round of 16 for the second time in the programs' history.

Things started well for the Seminoles (21-6, 10) in doubles as they swept the Jaguars in two matches. On court three the team of junior Drew Bailey and sophomore Brad Mixson easily dispatched of USA's Aaron Krisan and Michael O'Brien 8-1 with the duo winning the last seven games. FSU finished doubles out on court two when senior Sam Chang and junior Maciek Sykut beat Robert Hodel and Marek Sramek 8-5.

It looked like it was going to be an easy day for Florida State after the team jumped out to a quick 3-0 lead in singles. Mixson closed out O'Brien on court six 6-1, 6-0 winning the last 11 games of the match and on court five junior Chris Cloer defeated Krisan 6-2, 6-1 to give the Seminoles the big lead.

No. 19 Miami Men's Tennis Falls in NCAA Second Round

Gainesville, Fla... The No. 19 University of Miami men's tennis team closed its NCAA Tournament run in Sunday's second round, falling to Florida, 4-1, at UF's Linder Stadium in Gainesville.

The Hurricanes (17-8), winners in eight of their last 10 matches this season, were forced to battle the elements as well on Sunday, with high winds and two rains delays totaling 81 minutes.

The Gators (17-7) got off to a strong start, claiming the doubles point with wins at No. 1 and No. 2. They built their lead to 3-0, with singles wins at No. 4 and No. 2, before the Hurricanes posted their only point of the afternoon - a 7-5, 6-2 win by David Rosenfeld at No. 3, his ninth straight-sets win of the season.

Tennessee eliminates Tech, 4-0

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. - The Virginia Tech men's tennis team lost a 4-0 decision Sunday afternoon to No. 8 Tennessee in a NCAA Second Round match played at the Varsity Tennis Courts on the University of Tennessee campus. The matches were moved indoors due to high winds in the Knoxville area. The indoor tennis facility has only four courts thus the No. 5 and No. 6 matches were not played.

Tennessee improved to 23-3 and advances to NCAA Sweet 16 in Tulsa, Okla. while Virginia Tech, ranked No. 30, ends the year at 16-9. Tech's Albert Larregola, ranked No. 45 nationally, will participate in the NCAA Singles Championship in Tulsa, May 21-26.