The Virginia men's tennis team ended its best season in school history on May 22 with a 4-3 loss to Ohio State in the Cavaliers' first-ever NCAA Sweet 16 appearance.
The team finished the season with a No. 10 final national rating after being seeded sixth in the NCAA tournament.
The Cavaliers' loss to No. 22 Ohio State ended a season in which they won the program's first conference title, climbed their way to No. 6 in the nation, the team's highest ranking in history, and won a school record 24 matches. Individually, No. 1 singles player Doug Stewart finished the season ranked No. 13, and the doubles team of Rylan Rizza and Nick Meythaler finished at No. 24.
"We went well past our expectations nationally and I think we showed the nation that the program is really on the rise," assistant coach Tony Bresky said. "Hopefully we will be one of the premier tennis schools for a long time to come."
The team's NCAA hopes came to an end in the No. 4 singles match, where Ohio State's Devin Mullings defeated Virginia's Stephen Rozek 6-2, 6-4. It was the first time all season the Cavaliers lost a 4-3 match. It was also the first time Virginia lost a game after winning the doubles point.
The crowd enthusiasm that has played a tremendous role in the team's success this season was not as much of a factor in this match, according to Bresky.
"It was a funny match in that we were up and then five matches ended within 15 minutes of each other," he said. "There wasn't a whole lot of drama."
That was certainly not the case in the second-round match between Virginia and Mississippi State. The Cavaliers advanced from that round off the strong serve of No. 6 singles player Darrin Cohen. Cohen defeated his opponent 6-3, 2-6, 6-4 in the glare of the spotlight. With only Meythaler's match still going on next door at No. 5, all eyes were on Cohen. Thriving off the energy of fans and teammates, Cohen served two aces and kept his opponent scoreless in the final game.
"I just told myself before the game that this is where all those buckets of serves will come in handy," Cohen said. "I just got real confident and excited once all the other matches finished and Nick and I were sort of in the spotlight. I felt real happy that I got the opportunity for the match to rest on my shoulders."
Cohen was not the only Cavalier to finish the 2004 season with accolades. Bresky received the Mideast Region Assistant Coach of the Year title and Marko Miklo, the No. 3 singles player for Virginia, earned the Mideast Region Freshman of the Year award. Miklo went a perfect 8-0 in ACC singles play and 26-6 overall.
Stewart fell 6-3, 6-2 in the second round of the NCAA individual singles tournament on May 27 to Auburn's Gabor Zoltan Pelva. In doubles, Rizza and Meythaler were also defeated in the second round by national champion Baylor's Benedikt Dorsch and Matija Zgaga, 6-3 6-2.
Perhaps what is most notable about the success of the Virginia squad is the youth of their lineup. With five sophomores and a freshman, the record-breaking team of the 2004 season isn't going anywhere. Instead, the team is expected to improve with years under their belt and new recruits.
Cohen emphasized the importance of a year of experience, and Bresky said they are looking forward to welcoming what he calls "one of the best recruiting classes."
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