The No. 2 Virginia men’s tennis team defeated No. 15 Florida, 4-0, Thursday to advance to the quarterfinals of the NCAA Tournament.
Virginia (31-1, 11-1 ACC) used early momentum from the doubles point victory to carry the team into success in singles play. Senior Thai-Son Kwiatkowski got the first singles victory for the Cavaliers, downing senior Elliott Orkin of the Gators (19-10, 9-3 SEC) 6-3, 6-2. A short while later, freshman Carl Soderlund took down junior Chase Perez-Blanco 6-1, 6-4 on court three. Senior J.C. Aragone put away the match for the Cavaliers with a 6-4, 6-4 win over Florida freshman Johannes Ingildsen.
Virginia not only rides a 14-match winning streak, but has also taken home the championship in three of the last four years — in 2013, 2015 and 2016. In Coach Brian Boland’s last season, he will look to add one last NCAA championship to his numerous accolades. Boland has taken the team to the quarterfinals each year for the past 13 years and has led the team to the semifinals in each of the last seven years.
Virginia next faces off against 10th-seeded Texas (22-8) Saturday at 12 p.m. in Athens, Ga. The winner will go on to play in the semifinals Monday, May 22.