The No. 16 Cavaliers earned a tough 4-3 victory over No. 43 Wake Forest Saturday, improving to 14-1 on the season and recording the first 4-0 ACC start in school history.
While Virginia may have been the favorite over the now 9-6 Demon Deacons, difficult weather conditions exacerbated the conference struggle.
"It was tough conditions out here today," Virginia coach Brian Boland said. "It's great when you can win ugly."
The Cavaliers took the early lead by winning the doubles point, which later proved to be crucial. The No. 17 doubles team of Rylan Rizza and Nick Meythaler overcame their opponents 8-3 at the No. 1 position. Wake Forest came back at No. 3 but Virginia earned the point with an 8-6 win at No. 2.
Singles play did not start well for the Cavaliers, with the wind being a major factor early on in the match. After the first set of play in the six singles contests, Virginia was behind at No. 1, 2, and 5 and had barely squeaked by with a win at 7-6 win at No. 4.
Virginia briefly increased its lead to 2-0 after Darrin Cohen's straight set win at No. 6. The short-lived security was shattered, however, when Wake Forest's No. 68 D.J. Spice upset Virginia's No. 24 Doug Stewart at No. 1 and Meythaler fell at No. 5.
After falling behind at No. 4, freshman Marko Miklo had regained composure to come back and take the set. Despite the strong winds Miklo was able to keep the ball in play and wait for his opponent to make a mistake. Several well-placed drop shots also helped him clinch the victory.
"The wind was the biggest problem in the first games," Miklo said. "I was missing too many shots. I just started putting the ball in the court and I won the set."
Miklo eventually brought the Cavaliers back into the lead winning in straight sets after his slow start.
Rylan Rizza, who eventually secured the Virginia victory with a win at No. 2, also struggled in his first set, getting crushed by his opponent 6-1. The wind seemed to grate on Rizza's nerves in the set, as he struggled with placement and patience.
"I came out a little flat," Rizza said. "In the second set I calmed down a little bit and the wind calmed down and I just started hitting the ball better."
While the wind may have calmed down after Rizza's first set, the roar of the crowd grew even stronger. The home court advantage given by rowdy fraternity boys clad in pizza boxes and toilet paper was a tremendous factor for the Cavaliers. Rizza and Miklo in particular responded to the crowd's energy.
"I thrive off of it," Rizza said. "My fraternity was out there, my doubles partner's fraternity was out there. It's really fun to have someone cheering for you. I love it."
Boland and assistant coach Tony Bresky also were grateful for the fans."The more people come out and get behind you, the more you want to please them," Bresky said. "It really inspires our players."
Virginia will return to play at Snyder Center this afternoon against Colorado at 3:30. The non-conference match is another opportunity for the Cavaliers to maintain their near-flawless record and continue with the best season start in school history.
Read More
Katie Grimes posts historic debut as women’s swimming and diving annihilates Virginia Tech
By Xander Tilock | 4 hours agoGrimes broke out as a new superstar for Coach Todd DeSorbo's squad.
Women’s basketball displays stingy defense, but falls short versus No. 14 Duke
By Xander Tilock | 10 hours agoThe Cavaliers nearly conquered a ranked rival but could not generate consistent offense.
You cannot say money is the problem for Virginia football
By Peter Kriebel | 16 hours agoMoney, after all, is just one aspect of a winning program.
