February 4, 2012

The second-ranked Virginia men’s tennis team posted its second top-15 win in less than 24 hours as it topped No. 5 Florida 6-1 on Saturday afternoon.

The Cavaliers opened the match by winning the doubles point for a 1-0 lead. Alex Domijan and Steven Rooda gave Virginia the early advantage with an 8-4 win at No. 3 over 25th-ranked Andrew Butz and Bob van Overbeek. The Gators drew even as Frank Carleton and Spencer Newman edged Philippe Oudshoorn and Justin Shane 8-6 at the No. 2 spot.

With the opening point on the line, Jarmere Jenkins and Drew Courtney upset the fourth-ranked doubles team in the nation, Nassam Slilam and Billy Federhofer, 8-3 at No. 1 to give Virginia the doubles point.

In singles, the Cavaliers won five of six first sets to take control of the match. Courtney extended the lead to 2-0 with his 6-3, 6-2 win over Florent Diop at No. 3. Shane added a 7-6(3), 6-0 win over Federhofer at the No. 4 spot to make the score 3-0 before Jenkins clinched the victory with his 6-2, 6-4 win at No. 1 over Slilam.

The final three matches went to three sets. Oudshoorn rallied from down a set and two breaks in the second for a 3-6, 7-5, 6-2 win over Butz at No. 6. Florida got its only point of the match at No. 2 where Carleton rallied for a 4-6, 6-3, 6-4 win over Domijan to make the score 5-1. Julen Uriguen closed out the match with a 7-6(2), 3-6, 7-5 win over Newman at No. 5 to make the final score 6-1.

The win extended Virginia’s school-record home winning streak to 91 consecutive matches. The Cavaliers, who shut out No. 15 Texas 7-0 on Friday night, improved to 3-0 on the season. The Gators (3-1) suffered their first loss of the year.