BLACKSBURG – The 40th-ranked Virginia Tech men’s tennis team is set to host three matches this week beginning with VCU on Wednesday, March 16 at 1:30 p.m. Tech will return to ACC play over the weekend, hosting No. 23 Florida State on Friday and Louisville on Sunday. Times for those matches are 3 p.m. and 1 p.m., respectively. All three matches will be played at the Burrows-Burleson Tennis Center.
The Hokies (9-3, 2-1 ACC) are coming off a 7-0 win over Boston College last weekend. Tech claimed the doubles point early and the followed up with winning all six singles matches in straight sets. Amerigo Contini and Aaron Gomez gave up just two games in their matches at No. 2 and No. 6.
Tech’s Joao Monteiro enters the week ranked 18th in the ITA standings. The senior has posted a 7-2 mark this season in the No. 1. Andreas Bjerrehus has also had a strong senior campaign with an 8-1 record, playing primarily in the two. Mitch Harper has also tallied a 7-2 record while Amerigo Contini is 6-3. Edoardo Tessaro, ranked 59th, has a 5-2 mark in duals.
Monteiro and Bjerrehus are also ranked in doubles at 21st. The pair have a 7-1 record in the one this season.
VCU (13-3) had a 7-0 win over Austin Peay the last time out. The Rams claimed the doubles point and won five of their six singles matches in straight sets. Michal Voscek leads the Rams with a 12-3 record, including 11-1 at the No. 1. Catalin Fifea and Vitor Lima both have 9-3 records in duals while Daryl Monfils is 9-1. Fifea plays primarily at the two and Monfils in the No. 4. Lima has seen time in the No. 2 and No. 3.
In doubles, VCU is led by Voscek and Fifea with an 8-1 record and are 6-1 in the No. 3. Lima and Monfils have paired up for a 7-3 mark at one.
Florida State (11-3, 3-1 ACC) is coming off a big weekend at home in which the Seminoles defeated No. 1 North Carolina 4-3 and No. 66 Duke 5-2. Against the top-ranked Tar Heels, the Seminoles got out to a strong start with the doubles point before picking up singles wins from Benjamin Lock, Marco Nunez and Aziz Dougaz on courts 1, 2 and 4, respectively. Lock, ranked 30th, was named the ACC Player of the Week after claiming wins over ranked foes in both matches.
Lock has an 8-4 record this spring to lead the Seminoles in the No. 1. Nunez enters the weekend ranked 97th and has tallied a 6-4 mark at two. Terrance Whitehurst is 10-4 overall and has a 7-3 record at the six while Dougaz is 7-4 at four.
FSU also has a doubles team ranked with Lock and Nunez at 26th. The duo has paired up for an undefeated 11-0 record this spring.
Louisville (9-9, 0-4 ACC) defeated North Kentucky 7-0 most recently, but will face UNC on Friday before making the trip to Blacksburg for Sunday’s match. The Cardinals won the doubles point and five of the six singles matches in straight sets to defeat the Norse last weekend.
Alex Gornet plays in the No. 1 for the Cardinals and is 7-7 in dual matches this season. Brandon Lancaster is 6-4 in the spring playing primarily in the four and five. The doubles team of Gornet and Jeffrey Brown has tallied 11 wins, seeing time mainly in the No. 1. Courtney Lock was the ACC Player of the Week back in January after helping the Cardinals to a 3-1 record to open the season.
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