The No. 14 Horned Frogs and the No. 18 Tar Heels thwarted the efforts of the Cavaliers in what could have been a monumental doubleheader weekend for No. 12 Virginia.
After falling to North Carolina (20-2, 6-0 ACC), 5-2, Saturday and then failing to rally Sunday against Texas Christian (14-4), the Cavaliers dropped to 16-3 overall, 5-1 in the ACC.
The doubles point, which has been an area of strength for Virginia all year, was a crucial weakness this weekend. The No. 14 nationally ranked doubles team of Rylan Rizza and Nick Meythaler lost both their doubles matches even after having climbed to a 6-2 lead against TCU's top team. Rizza defeated his UNC opponent in singles Saturday in straight sets but fell Sunday after coming back in the second set. Meythaler was defeated in both his singles matches.
This weekend's results opened the Cavaliers' eyes to the importance of the doubles point. All three matches earn only one point for the victor, but that point can give the winning team momentum going into singles and break the tie in case of a 3-3 split in singles.
"We needed to lose a tight doubles point to realize it's those little things that make a difference," coach Brian Boland said. "Our practices in doubles specifically haven't been focused enough. It's a matter of inches."
The doubles point, however important, is certainly not the cause of any loss. Virginia had several knock-down, drag-out matches in singles that went both ways while the Cavaliers' foes had some very decisive wins.
Sophomore Doug Stewart, who fills the Cavaliers' top spot, was pushed back by UNC's Nick Monroe, the No. 31 player in the country, Saturday in an intensely long battle. Stewart, ranked No. 21 in the nation, fell 7-6, 5-7, 5-7, but was not deterred against another ranked foe Sunday.
Stewart rallied after losing the first set in his match against No. 41 Alex Manchini, 5-7, and came back to take the second two sets, 6-4, 6-4.
Manchini and Stewart's match was emotionally heated, as Manchini became visibly enraged by his three overturned line calls.
"It was a really mental match -- playing a guy that was getting overruled a lot," Stewart said. "He was cheating, and sometimes the refs were calling it and sometimes they weren't. It's hard to keep your focus and just play tennis, but I thought I did a good job."
Stewart was particularly strong in responding to Manchini's anger-driven forehands with finesse. His ability to place the ball out of his opponent's reach won the game for him.
Stewart was not the only Cavalier to face a strong left-handed opponent. Freshman Marko Miklo also had an extremely tight match at No. 2 Sunday against the Horned Toads' Fabrizio Sestini after a strong 6-0, 6-1 win at No. 3 Saturday.
Miklo's tall, left-handed challenger decisively defeated the freshman in the first set, 6-1. Miklo rallied in the second set after making substantial changes to his game, especially in his serve returns. He took the second set 7-5 and held Sestini to 3-3 in the third set before the match was suspended so TCU could make their flight home after having secured the match with a win over Rizza at No. 3.
"I felt my chances were higher than his [to win if the match had continued]," Miklo said. "I was playing pretty good. I think I could have won the match."
Sophomore Darrin Cohen had a weekend of ups and downs, losing Saturday in straight sets and winning in straight sets Sunday.
Stephen Rozek struggled Saturday, playing a strong second set but dropping the match 1-6, 6-1, 1-6. Rozek was soundly defeated Sunday 6-3, 6-0.
The weekend's losses could potentially be a cause of serious concern for the young team, who broke down toward the end of last season after a successful start. Both coaches and players, however, have said they are optimistic about the rest of the season and confident the losses are nothing but learning experiences.
"Last year we took a couple tough losses at the end -- we kind of spiraled," assistant coach Tony Bresky said. "I have a really good feeling that's not going to happen this year. Our guys have matured."
Boland noted the team's ability to fight hard and make a good run in the second sets against TCU, even after having lost all but one of the first singles sets and the doubles point.
"Not only did we lose to North Carolina, but we lost the doubles point that we should have won and lost five of the first sets, and it still came down to the wire," Boland said. "There was no let up. The guys just came out and fought really hard."
Today Virginia will take the day off to recover from their grueling weekend. They will return to the court and ACC play Wednesday at Maryland.
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