The No. 6 Virginia men’s tennis team took on rival Virginia Tech Friday for their Senior Day, closing out the regular season at the Boar’s Head Sports Club. Before the first serve, the Cavaliers honored graduate student James Hopper with a framed uniform jersey and flowers from the team, coaches and his family.
The matchup carried added weight as part of the Commonwealth Clash. Virginia, which entered the match holding a dominant 63-9 record in the series, looked to extend its record over the No. 68-ranked Hokies (10-14, 2-11 ACC).
The Cavaliers (17-6, 9-4 ACC) stuck to a familiar doubles lineup to secure a quick and commanding doubles point. At Line 1, sophomore Dylan Dietrich and junior Mans Dahlberg came out aggressive from the very first game, using their strong return and net game to keep Virginia Tech on their heels. The Virginia pair rarely dropped points on serve and broke twice en route to a 6-2 victory.
At Line 2, freshman Keegan Rice teamed up with Hopper. The duo capitalized on early break chances and used clean volleys and strong baseline exchanges to outmaneuver the Hokies. Their energy and communication stood out as they cruised to a 6-2 win, putting Virginia in a strong position to clinch the point.
After a successful run at the ATP Challenger in Cuernavaca, Mexico, Freshman Rafael Jódar made his return to the collegiate courts, pairing up with freshman Roy Horovitz at Line 3. The freshman duo had to weather some early resistance, but they stayed composed under pressure. With a key break, Jódar and Horovitz held out to close the match 6-4 and complete the doubles sweep, locking in the opening point for the Cavaliers.
The Cavaliers carried that momentum into singles. At Line 1, Jódar continued his dominant spring season, earning his 15th consecutive singles win with a commanding 6-4, 6-2 triumph on the top court. After trading early breaks with his opponent, Jódar stayed aggressive and found a crucial break late in the first set to take it 6-4. From there, he controlled the second set, dictating rallies with his forehand and taking advantage of shorter balls to close out points efficiently. He wrapped up the match before any of the other courts, giving Virginia a quick 2-0 lead. With the win, Jódar finished ACC play with a perfect 8-0 record, having not lost a dual match since Jan. 16.
Second off of the court was Rice at Line 2. He delivered a confident performance, taking early leads in both sets. Rice stayed steady from the baseline and capitalized on his opponent’s errors to keep the momentum on his side. He closed out the match 6-1, 6-3, extending the Cavaliers’ lead to 3-0.
At Line 5, Dahlberg played a composed and efficient match to clinch the overall victory. He took the first set with ease, putting his opponent on defense with his serve and forehand. In the second set, Dahlberg jumped out to an early lead before facing a late push from his opponent, who leveled the set at 4-4. Dahlberg responded with a timely break and confidently served out the match for a 6-2, 6-4 win, securing the fourth point and sealing the victory for the Cavaliers.
Dietrich showed grit in a tight match at Line 2. After falling behind with an early break, Dietrich dug in and came up with clutch points to break back and eventually take the opening set in a tiebreak, 7-6 (4). The second set was equally intense, with the players exchanging three consecutive breaks midway through. At 3-2, Dietrich held out, steadied his serve and closed out the set 6-3 to deliver another strong point for the Cavaliers.
Though the match had already been clinched, play continued to celebrate Senior Day. Hopper battled through a dramatic three-set match. He fell behind 5-1 in the opening set but mounted an impressive rally to narrow the gap to 5-4 before his opponent managed to serve it out, 6-4.
In the second set, Hopper once again showed his resilience — despite going down an early break, he flipped the momentum to surge ahead 5-2. Although he was broken while trying to serve out the set at 5-3, he closed it out 6-4 on his second attempt. In the deciding set, Hopper was unable to find a late breakthrough, and the Hokies held on for a 6-4 win, handing them one of their two points of the day.
Freshman Stiles Brockett came out strong at Line 6, dominating the opening set 6-1 with aggressive and consistent baseline play. However, momentum shifted in the second set as he fell behind early. Despite battling back to 4-5 and applying pressure late in the set, he was broken again, allowing Virginia Tech to take it 6-4. The final set remained tight, with the players trading holds until the Hokies secured a late break to edge out the set 7-5, giving them their second point of the match.
The win capped off what was a strong regular season but one that concluded with an unfamiliar conference losing streak. Virginia’s postseason begins Thursday with the ACC Championships from then until April 20 in Cary, N.C.
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