WACO, TEXAS - The final score will be no indication of how tight the NCAA Sweet 16 match between Virginia and Columbia men's tennis was. The Cavaliers defeated the Lions 4-0 to advance to the NCAA Quarterfinals for the 11th straight year, but Columbia left it all on the indoor courts in Waco.
The Lions arrived in Texas in droves because Columbia University is still in finals. Part of the team arrived on Tuesday and some arrived in the wee hours of the morning on Thursday, a mere 12 or so hours before they were to compete.
Weather set in, and the matches were forced indoors, where Columbia is right at home, and the Lions were ready to play.
Virginia won the doubles point with an 8-3 win at No. 3 doubles and an 8-4 win at No. 1. Ashok Narayana and Dragos Ignat were locked up at 7-7 at No. 2 before the Cavs took the point.
Columbia won three first sets and lost one in a tie breaker. #8 Ryan Shane defeated #17 Winston Lin 6-3, 6-4 to give the Cavs a 2-0 lead.
All but one singles (No. 4) were in the second set when Narayana lost a first-set tie-breaker to Collin Altamirano. Max Schnur battled back from a 6-2 loss in the first to tightly contested second set.
Mike Vermeer won his first set 6-3, before falling in the second 6-4. Shawn Hadavi won his first set 6-2 and was tied 5-5 in the second when Virginia clinched the match.
With a 2-0 lead, Virginia got a win at #4 singles when Thai-Son Kwiatkowski defeated Schnur 6-2, 7-6 (8-6) to take a 3-0 advantage.
Narayana struggled to recover from the tie breaker and fell 6-0 in the second set to give Virginia the 4-0 win.
The Lions finished the season 16-6 in one of the most successful seasons in Columbia Tennis history.
Check back for more information.
#3 VIRGINIA (26-3) def. #17-32 COLUMBIA (16-6), 4-0 - Hawkins Indoor Tennis Center
Head Coaches: Brian Boland (VIRGINIA) and Bid Goswami (COLUMBIA)
Doubles (Order of finish: 3, 1)
1. #2 Luca Corinteli/Ryan Shane (VIRGINIA) def. #46 Winston Lin/Mike Vermeet (COLUMBIA) 8-3
2. #42 Thai-Son Kwiatkowski/Mac Styslinger (VIRGINIA) vs. #84 Ashok Narayana/Dragos Ignat (COLUMBIA) 7-7, UNF
3. Collin Altamirano/J.C. Aragone (VIRGINIA) def. Max Schnur/Bert Vancura (COLUMBIA) 8-4
Singles (Order of finish: 1, 4, 3)
1. #8 Ryan Shane (VIRGINIA) def. #17 Winston Lin (COLUMBIA) 6-3, 6-4
2. #20 Mitchell Frank (VIRGINIA) vs. #108 Dragos Ignat (COLUMBIA) 2-6, 6-2, UNF
3. #77 Collin Altamirano (VIRGINIA) def. Ashok Narayana (COLUMBIA) 7-6 (0), 6-0
4. #19 Thai-Son Kwiatkowski (VIRGINIA) def. Max Schnur (COLUMBIA) 6-2, 7-6 (6)
5. Alexander Ritschard (VIRGINIA) vs. Mike Vermeer (COLUMBIA) 3-6, 6-4, 2-0, UNF
6. J.C. Aragone (VIRGINIA) vs. Shawn Hadavi (COLUMBIA) 6-2, 5-5, UNF
