The No. 34 Virginia men's tennis team dropped a heartbreaking match to No. 31 Clemson Saturday at the Snyder Tennis Center by a score of 4-3. The loss is the third consecutive defeat for the Cavaliers, and all three have been against ranked ACC opponents. On the season, Virginia is 20-6 overall and 4-4 in the ACC.
The Cavaliers started strong in the match as they collected the doubles point -- something that has plagued the team for much of the season. In the No. 1 doubles, the duo of freshman Doug Stewart and senior Michael Duquette defeated Nathan Thompson and Jarmaine Jenkins from Clemson by ascore of 8-3. The other doubles victory came from the freshmen tandem of Rylan Rizza and Nick Meythaler who beat Damiisa Robinson and John Boetsch, 8-1, in the No. 2 slot.
Virginia, however, could not keep the momentum going in singles play. No. 41 Stewart defeated No. 71 Thompson in a tough match at No. 1 singles. After dropping the first set, Stewart settled down and played more consistently and displayed more patience. He went on to win the next two sets en route to the three-set victory.
"I played a very good athlete," Stewart said. "He was really quick, and I knew that I was going to be in for a lot of long points because I was not going to be able put the ball away early."
The other Cavalier victory in singles came at the No. 5 flight. Darrin Cohen easily defeated Robinson in straight sets, 6-1 and 6-2.
With only one match still in progress, the No. 6 singles, the score was knotted at three. Meythaler and Clemson's Ash Misquith each had captured a set and were midway through the third and final set. With everyone focused on Meythaler and Misquith, the intensity picked up as the third set went to a tiebreaker. In the end, Meythaler came out on the short end.
"I had the opportunities," Meythaler said. "I had the team on my shoulders and I gave it my all. I left 100 percent on the court but just did not come up with it."
The loss to Clemson concludes a very rough week for Virginia. On April 5, the Cavaliers were swept 7-0 by Duke and lost 4-3 to North Carolina April 6. The loss to the Tar Heels was strikingly similar to the defeat at the hands of the Tigers and just as painful for a young Virginia team. The Cavaliers also had to compete with a bad week of weather with cold and rain almost everyday.
Despite the loss, Virginia coach Brian Boland was very positive about his team's performance.
"I think it's good for us," Boland said. "We are young, and these are the kind of matches we need to have to become better. Yes, it's painful -- it should be painful. But at the same time, I think we need to just learn from it and realize that we put ourselves in a position to win, and that's all you could ask for."
This match versus Clemson also shows how far the Cavaliers have come in just one year. Virginia was embarrassed by the Tigers by a score of 7-0 last March.
"It's an amazing turnaround," Boland said. "Look at how far our program has come in a year. We can all hang our heads and complain, but let's face it, we are trying to build this program into a top-five national power."
The Cavaliers will look to bounce back in their regular season finale on Tuesday when they face off against the Hokies at 2:30 p.m. at the Snyder Tennis Center.
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