BLACKSBURG, Va. – The #37 Virginia Tech men’s tennis team played their final match of the regular season this afternoon, hosting the #62 Clemson Tigers on Senior Day. Prior to the match, Pedro Graber, Will Beck and Sebastien Jacques were honored for their contributions during their careers at Virginia Tech. In fierce competition, the Hokies came out on top, downing the ACC foe, 4-3, in the regular season finale. The win lifts the Hokies to 13-10 (5-6 ACC), while the Tigers finish 15-11 (2-9 ACC).
All three doubles matches were close, but the Tigers came out victorious in the end, clinching the first point of the day. Dominique Maden and Juan Bolona of Clemson won the first match of the day, defeating Patrick Daciek (Jr., Severna Park, Md.) and Corrado Degl’ Incerti Tocci (Jr., Reggio Emilia, Italy), 8-6 in No. 3 doubles. Luka Somen (Jr., Karlovac, Croatia) and Lucas Oliveira (So., Sao Paulo, Brazil) evened the score with an 8-5 victory over Derek DiFazio and Robert Pietrucha in No. 2 doubles, but Yannick Maden and Zachary Rigsby upset #43 Pedro Graber (r-Sr., Santiago, Chile) and Will Beck (Sr., Potomac, Md.) in the No. 1 spot, 8-6, to earn the first point of the match.
Beck evened the score at one apiece, defeating Gerardo Meza, 6-4, 6-2, in No. 4 singles. Yannick Maden put the Tigers back up 2-1 with a 6-0, 6-4 victory over Patrick Daciek in No. 2 singles, but Graber evened it again, downing Kevin Galloway, 6-2, 6-4, in the No. 3 spot. #53 Luke Somen gave the Hokies their first lead of the day, defeating DiFazio in No. 1 singles, but Cal Silman knotted the score at three with a 6-4, 1-6, 6-3, victory over Tocci. Lucas Oliveira then clinched the victory for Tech, winning the deciding seventh match, 4-6, 7-5, 6-2, over Rigsby in No. 5 singles, to pull out a 4-3 win to close out the season.
The Hokies have now completed the regular season and will head to Cary, N.C., next weekend for the 2011 ACC Championships. Coverage of the championships, taking place from April 21-24, will be available on the ACC Championship Central webpage at: http://www.theacc.com/championships/11-tennis-championship.html.
#37 Virginia Tech 4, #62 Clemson 3
Singles
1. #53 Luka Somen (VT) def. Derek DiFazio (CU) 7-5, 6-1
2. Yannick Maden (CU) def. Patrick Daciek (VT) 6-0, 6-4
3. Pedro Graber (VT) def. Kevin Galloway (CU) 6-2, 6-4
4. Will Beck (VT) def. Gerardo Meza (CU) 6-4, 6-2
5. Lucas Oliveira (VT) def. Zachary Rigsby (CU) 4-6, 7-5, 6-2
6. Cal Hilsman (CU) def. Corrado Degl’ Incerti Tocci (VT) 6-4, 1-6, 6-3
Order of finish: 4, 2, 3, 1, 6, 5*
Doubles
1. Y. Maden/Rigsby (CU) def. #43 Graber/Beck (VT) 8-6
2. Somen/Oliveira (VT) def. DiFazio/Robert Pietrucha (CU) 8-5
3. Dominique Maden/Juan Bolona (CU) def. Daciek/Tocci (VT) 8-6
Order of finish: 3, 2, 1*
*clinching point
For updates on Virginia Tech men's tennis, follow the Hokies on Twitter (@VT_MTennis).