Monday, 05/14/2012

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – Most people use Saturday mornings to catch up on sleep and relax a little bit.

Not the VCU men's tennis team. The Rams blasted Columbia, 4-0, in the opening round of the 2012 NCAA Tournament on Saturday morning in Charlottesville, giving VCU its 11th straight victory. The Black & Gold have lost just one singles match in the past month.

Columbia's only momentum of the day came with an 8-4 win at the third doubles spot to open the day. That's where their enthusiasm ended as the upperclassmen duo of Max Wennakoski and Filip Svensson won easily, 8-2, at the second doubles position, while Alexis Huegas and Antoine Baroz locked up the doubles point for VCU with a hard-fought 9-8 (7-4) win at the top doubles position.

Baroz kept things going for the Rams on the singles courts with a 7-5, 6-2 win at the #4 spot in the lineup, while classmate Alejandro Argente brought VCU within one point of the win with a decisive 6-2, 6-3 win at the fifth singles position.

 Junior Jamie Vazquez continued his streak of stellar play at the sixth singles position, winning his 10th straight match (all by way of straight sets) and team-leading 25th match of the year, 7-6 (7-3), 6-0 over Columbia's Tizian Bucher to lock up the victory for the Black & Gold.

In Head Coach Paul Kostin's 22 years at VCU, the Rams have now participate in the NCAA Tournament 19 times and have 15 NCAA Tournament wins, the most postseason wins by any coach in VCU athletics history.

The Rams will now play third-ranked Virginia on Sunday afternoon. First serve in Charlottesville is set for 12 p.m.

#32 VCU 4, #42 Columbia 0
Singles
#1 – Alexis Heugas vs. Winston Lin, 6-7 (4-7), 2-3 DNF
#2 – Max Wennakoski vs. Haig Schneiderman, 6-7 (5-7), 4-2 DNF
#3 – Filip Svensson vs. Nathaniel Gery, 4-6, 6-4 DNF
#4 – Antoine Baroz  d. Ashok Narayana, 7-5, 6-2
#5 – Alejando Argente d. Bert Vancura, 6-2, 6-3
#6 – Jaime Vazquez d. Tizian Bucher, 7-6(7-3), 6-0

Doubles
#1 – Heugas/Baroz d. Schnur/Narayana, 9-8 (7-4)
#2 – Wennakoski/Svensson d. Schneiderman/Lin, 8-2
#3 – Gery/Deb Sen d. Argente/Vazquez, 8-4