Cavaliers clobber Texas A&M
By: Ed Burton | Daily Progress correspondent
Published: February 05, 2012

The University of Virginia men’s tennis team won its third match in three days against top ranked opponents by defeating eleventh-ranked Texas A&M, 6-1, on Sunday afternoon at the Boyd Tinsley Courts at the Boar’s Head Sports Club.

The win on Saturday against fifth-ranked Florida and Sunday’s victory over the Aggies came without the play of the nation’s No. 1 ranked college player, UVa freshman Mitchell Frank.

Frank, nursing a sore back, was busy lugging water bottles for his teammates as he watched from the sidelines this weekend. The more than 500 fans in attendance on Sunday certainly would have gotten their money’s worth, had there been a price of admission.

Aggies coach Steve Denton and UVa coach Brian Boland changed the normal rules of engagement by having four doubles and six singles matches. Boland frequently looks for ways to involve players who aren’t often in the top six by agreeing to more matches than the usual three doubles and six singles.

But who wins the doubles point if the teams end up splitting the matches 2-2 (which is precisely what happened as UVa won the No. 1 and No. 2 doubles matches while dropping No. 3 and No. 4)? With the usual format, Virginia would have won the doubles point, but because they played a fourth match, the point was not decided.

So, back they came onto the court. Not everyone, just the top three teams from each squad. Each of the top three would play a 10-point tiebreaker and whoever managed to win two out of three would be declared the winner of the doubles point. The No. 4 teams were left to cheer on their teammates.

This time UVa’s No. 3 team, Alex Domijan and Steven Rooda, avenged their loss by winning, 10-5.

As fate would have it, the No. 2 duo, Justin Shane and Phillipe Oudshoorn, dropped their tiebreaker match, 10-6. Now, the doubles point would come down to the No. 1 match featuring UVa’s Jarmere Jenkins and Drew Courtney and the Aggies top duo of Junior Ore and Jackson Withrow.

A&M led 8-7 with Withrow serving into the forehand court to Courtney, who crushed a down-the-line forehand to even things at 8-8. The Aggies won the next point and were now at match point with Courtney to serve. Two giant serves by Courtney, with put away volleys provided by Jenkins, set up match point for the Cavs with Ore serving.

The Aggies saved that match point but would lose the match 12-10 on a Jenkins serve that could not be returned.

“I think we have four great [doubles] teams, not one,” said Boland. “We will use this format of four doubles, when we can, to showcase our four great teams. You’ll see that we will have four great teams as we get deeper into the season.”

Virginia won all of the top five singles matches in straight sets, with the Aggies lone point coming in the sixth position as Santiago Villegas dropped a tough three-setter to A&M’s John Lewis.

The match at No. 1 singles was closer than the score would indicate. Jenkins faced off against Alexi Klegou, ranked No. 19 nationally, and once again had the crowd in high spirits with his shot-making and court speed. Jenkins’ serve, a much stronger weapon this season, kept the talented Klegou off balance and enabled Jenkins to pull off a 6-4, 6-4 win at the top spot.

Boland was exuberant with praise for his junior star from Atlanta.

“Jarmere is exciting to watch,” said the coach. “He is an incredible athlete. He loves the moment. He embraces the moment. He likes to put on a good show and the crowd loves him.”

Domijan recovered some of his old form at the No. 2 spot, but not without a struggle, defeating the Aggies’ Colin Hoover 6-2, 7-6 (5). Courtney, Shane and Oudshoorn each won their matches relatively easily.

No. 2 Cavaliers Roll Past No. 11 Texas A&M 6-1
Courtesy: VirginiaSports.com
Release: 02/05/2012

CHARLOTTESVILLE - The second-ranked Virginia men's tennis team posted its third top-15 win of the weekend with a 6-1 win over No. 11 Texas A&M on Sunday afternoon at the Boyd Tinsley Courts at the Boar's Head Sports Club. The Cavaliers, who blanked No. 15 Texas 7-0 on Friday night and No. 5 Florida 6-1 on Saturday, improved to 4-0 on the season. The Aggies (4-1) suffered their first loss of the year.
The Cavaliers opened the match by winning the doubles point, which was played using an alternative format. The teams played four doubles matches in the match, and the each team won two. Virginia got wins from Drew Courtney (Clifton, Va.) and Jarmere Jenkins (College Park, Ga.) won at No. 1 and Philippe Oudshoorn (Apeldoorn, The Netherlands) and Justin Shane (Falls Church, Va.) at No. 2, while the Aggies won at No. 3 and No. 4. The tiebreaker consisted of playing 10-point tiebreakers at the No. 1, 2 and 3 positions. The Cavalier team of Alex Domijan (Wesley Chapel, Fla.) and Steven Rooda (Amersfoort, The Netherlands) won at No. 3, while Texas A&M won at No. 2. The point came down to No. 1, where Jenkins/Courtney edged Junior Ore and Jackson Withrow 12-10 to clinch the point for Virginia.

In singles, Virginia won in straight sets at the top five positions to seal the win. Shane cruised to a 6-2, 6-0 win at No. 4 over Jeremy Efferding, while Oudshoorn downed Withrow 6-1, 6-1 at No. 5 to make the score 3-0. Domijan clinched the win with a 6-2, 7-6 victory over Colin Hoover at the No. 2 position. Courtney topped Ore at No. 3 and Jenkins defeated Alexis Klegou at No. 1 to make the score 6-0 before John Lewis defeated Santiago Villegas (Bogota, Colombia) in three sets at No. 6 for the Aggies' lone point.

The win extended Virginia's school-record home winning streak to 92 consecutive matches.

Virginia will return to action on Wednesday as it visits Maryland. Match time in College Park is 3 p.m.

#2 VIRGINIA 6, #11 TEXAS A&M 1

Doubles:
1. Jenkins/Courtney (UVa) def. Ore/Withrow (TAMU) 8-5
2. #13 Oudshoorn/Shane (UVa) def. Szabo/Klegou (TAMU) 8-4
3. Hoover/Lewis (TAMU) def. Domijan/Rooda (UVa) 8-6
4. Angus/Efferding (TAMU) def. Uriguen/Villegas (TAMU) 8-5

Doubles tiebreakers: #1 UVa 12-10, #2 TAMU 10-6, #3 UVa 10-5

Singles:
1. #11 Jarmere Jenkins (UVa) def. #19 Alexis Klegou (TAMU) 6-4, 6-4
2. Alex Domijan (UVa) def. Colin Hoover (TAMU) 6-2, 7-6(5)
3. Drew Courtney (UVa) def. #104 Junior Ore (TAMU) 6-3, 7-5
4. #57 Justin Shane (UVa) def. #73 Jeremy Efferding (TAMU) 6-2, 6-0
5. Philippe Oudshoorn (UVa) def. Jackson Withrow (TAMU) 6-1, 6-1
6. John Lewis (TAMU) def. Santiago Villegas (UVa) 6-3, 3-6, 6-2

Order of Finish:
Doubles: 1,3,2,4
Singles: 4,5,2,3,1,6

Partying in Argentina
By: Roger Gonzalez | Daily Progress correspondent
Published: February 06, 2012

Former University of Virginia basketball player Jerome Meyinsse's path to a professional basketball career is one that few have taken. His isn't the common story of a player who does not make it in the NBA, then leaves to hoop in Europe's top leagues. The Louisiana native is, however, a pro athlete in a country where soccer reigns supreme.

The 23-year-old currently lives in the South American nation of Argentina, the birthplace of the world's top soccer player Lionel Messi and political figure Che Guevara. A country with a population of over 40,000,000, the nation is known for its European-influenced culture, the Patagonia region consisting of the Andes Mountains, and fine food.

"I really enjoy living in Argentina," Meyinsse said. "It’s a beautiful country with a unique culture. The pace of life is slower than in the US in my opinion, and the people are very nice. I like the fact that they have a built in siesta [nap] in their daily routines. I definitely take advantage of this daily. However, it leads to late night practices and games, which I have since become accustomed to. I love the food here as well. The beef is some of the world’s best."

Meyinsse plays in the nation's top flight, suiting up for Weber Bahía Estudiantes, where the San Antonio Spurs' Manu Ginobili made a name for himself before playing in Italy and then in the United States. Currently, Meyinsse ranks fifth in the league in scoring with 16.3 points, while also grabbing 6.6 rebounds. He is hitting 56.5 percent of his field goals.

"Last year I played for Nueve de Julio in Rio Tercero, Córdoba [Central Argentina],” Meyinsse said, before moving to play for his current team Bahía Blanca, located in the province of Buenos Aires.

The 6-foot-9 big man had adapted quickly to everything the country offers.

“I currently live by myself in an apartment," he said. "I have met all of the people on my floor and I speak to them every time I see them. I have had no problems being accepted into the community, in fact, a lot of times people will pass by in their cars and honk, or stop me in the street to talk to me about the games or ask for an autograph."

After settling into the community, it took a bit of time to also get acquainted with the style of play.

"The game is played at a slower pace, so there is a greater focus on skill," Meyinsse said. "I think there are more athletic guys on the collegiate level, but the game here is a lot more physical."

No longer a student, the former Cavalier knows it's now basketball essentially all day every day, while also trying to enjoy himself outside of the sport.

"My daily routine is usually centered around my practices or games,'" Meyinsse said. "On a normal day, I’ll wake up and go to morning practice. [Then] I’ll come home and eat and spend some time talking to friends before taking nap. When I wake up, I’ll head to my next practice or game... Then I usually watch TV and talk to friends until I go to sleep.

“Once a week, I have a Spanish tutor that lasts for about an hour. For fun I play video games and hang out with my teammates. The nightlife here is a lot different than it is in the states. Most places in the US, the nightlife ends at 2 a.m., however, in Argentina, that is when the night life begins!"

More comfortable with each passing day, Meyinsse remains focused on helping his team compete.

"We play a four-out-one in offense with me playing mostly in the paint," Meyinsse said. "We try to space the floor a lot so I can play one-on-one in the post and have shooters on the outside. My teammates are great. They have been helpful and friendly to me since I arrived. Whether a ride to practice or translating something I don’t understand, they’ve been great. On the court, they are all hard-working and unselfish and they are a joy to play with."

Entering the weekend, his team is 7-10 and in 11th place in the 16-team league. The top 12 make the playoffs, which begin in March.

"Our team had a great start to the season, but now we are going through a bit of a rough stretch," admitted Meyinsse, whose team has experienced two losing streaks of at least three games this season. "We have some things that we need to improve on, but I am sure we will end the season strong and make a run in the playoffs.”

In January, he was rewarded for his successful campaign, participating in the league's All-Star game.

"It felt great being an All-Star, especially because it was my first time playing in an All-Star game," Meyinsse said. "I had a lot of fun with the festivities and it was great meeting my competitors outside of the game situation."

Now, with the end of the season near, Meyinsse has left the celebrations behind and is ready to make a run at the league title. For his coach, he is vital.

"Jerome is the type of player that is growing, with a physical strength that is really important in our league," Weber Bahía Estudiantes coach Jose Pisani said. "His mobility and jumping ability, combined with quickness in his offensive moves, makes it hard to defend him.

"Jerome is one of the pillars of our team...being one of the top three offensive options, which makes him one of the top scorers in the National League of Argentina."

The big man feels that he is growing with each game down south and looks to keep it going.

"I think I have gotten a lot better offensively since I have been in Argentina," Meyinsse said. "During my time at the University, my role was mainly to play defense and get my teammates open on offense. Now as a professional, my team relies a lot more on me offensively, and I have had to step up to answer the call." Regardless of what happens this season or in the future, he is currently on the ride of his life. "If Miley Cyrus's song would've been called "Party in Argentina" instead of "Party in the USA," it would perfectly describe how much fun I'm having right now."

Women’s Tennis Blanks Boston College 7-0
Courtesy: VirginiaSports.com
Release: 02/05/2012

WEYMOUTH, Mass. - The ninth-ranked Virginia women's tennis team remained unbeaten on the season by blanking No. 55 Boston College on Sunday at the Weymouth Tennis Club. It was the third consecutive shutout win for the Cavaliers, who improved to 5-0 on the season, 2-0 in the ACC. The Eagles fell to 3-2 overall (1-1 ACC).
The Cavaliers opened the match with an impressive doubles performance, sweeping all three matches, including two wins over ranked foes. Emily Fraser (Rye, N.Y.) and Li Xi (Kunming, China) downed No. 11 Alex Kelleher and Olga Khymlev 8-2 at the No. 1 position. At No. 3, Maria Fuccillo (Rockville, Md.) and Lindsey Hardenbergh (Fairfax Station, Va.) defeated Katarina Gajic and Ina Kappuila 8-4. Hana Tomljanovic (Boca Raton. Fla.) and Erin Vierra (Norwell, Mass.) completed the sweep with an 8-7 win over No. 32 Erina Kikuchi and Jessica Wacnik at No. 2.

Virginia swept all six singles matches in straight sets. Fraser topped Wacnik 6-2, 6-1 at the top spot. Hardenbergh downed Kelleher 6-3, 6-1 at No. 2 singles. At No. 3, Xi posted a 6-4, 6-1 win over Kikuchi. Tomljanovic defeated Khymlev 6-3, 6-4 at No. 4 singles. At No. 5 Vierra won 6-4, 6-0 over Gajic and Fuccillo defeated Kelly Barry 6-2, 6-4 at No. 6 singles.

Virginia will return to action next weekend as they compete at the 2012 ITA National Team Indoor Championships at the Boar's Head Sports Club. The Cavaliers are the No. 7 seed in the tournament and will open play against Northwestern on Friday at 6:30 p.m.

#9 VIRGINIA 7, #55 BOSTON COLLEGE 0

Doubles:
1. Fraser/Xi (UVa) def. #11 Kelleher/Khymlev (BC) 8-2
2. Tomljanovic/Vierra (UVa) def. #32 Kikuchi/Wacnik (BC) 8-7
3. Fuccillo/Hardenbergh (UVa) def. Gajic/Kappuila (BC) 8-4

Singles:
1. #29 Emily Fraser (UVa) def. #108 Jessica Wacnik (BC) 6-2, 6-1
2. #30 Lindsey Hardenbergh (UVa) def. Alex Kelleher (BC) 6-3, 6-1
3. Li Xi (UVa) def. Erina Kikuchi (BC) 6-4, 6-1
4. #85 Hana Tomljanovic (UVa) def. Olga Khymlev (BC) 6-3, 6-4
5. #75 Erin Vierra (UVa) def. Katarina Gajic (BC) 6-4, 6-0
6. #76 Maria Fuccillo (UVa) def. Kelly Barry (BC) 6-2, 6-4

Virginia Holds On For 55-47 Win At NC State
Courtesy: VirginiaSports.com
Release: 02/05/2012

RALEIGH, N.C. - The Virginia women's basketball team earned a key road victory at NC State, 55-47, Sunday (Feb. 5) afternoon. Ataira Franklin (Bowie, Md.) scored a game-high 20 points and Ariana Moorer (Woodbridge, Va.) posted a double-double with 11 points and 10 rebounds.
With the victory, UVa improved to 17-8 overall and 5-6 in Atlantic Coast Conference play. NC State's record went to 14-10 (4-7 ACC).

UVa scored eight unanswered points to open the game and held NC State scoreless until the 11:28 mark of the first half. At that point, Emili Tasler hit a jumper at the elbow to put the Wolfpack on the board and make the score 8-2.

For the rest of the half, the Wolfpack out-scored the Cavaliers, 19-14, and pulled within one point at the halftime break. UVa led, 22-21.

Virginia opened the second half on a 4-0 run to take a 26-21 lead on a jumpshot in the lane by Chelsea Shine (Wayne, Pa.) at the 18:55 mark. NC State responded with a 6-0 run of its own over the next three minutes to take its first lead of the contest, 27-26, on a lay-up by Bonae Holston with 15:36 left in the game.

That one-point NC State lead lasted 45 seconds, as Moorer converted a fastbreak lay-up at the 14:51 mark that gave Virginia the lead back, 28-27. A lay-up by Jazmin Pitts (Mosely, Va.) and back-to-back 3-pointers by Franklin put UVa up further, 36-28, and a jumper by Telia McCall (Marietta, Ga.) made Virginia's lead double-digits, 38-28, at the 12:13 mark.

Virginia held on for the 55-47 victory.

Franklin finished 7-for-16 from the field and connected on three second-half 3-pointers. She also contributed five rebounds.

Moorer's double-double was her second of the season and third of her career. The senior also tallied five steals.

Gerson netted 10 points as the third Cavalier in double figures for scoring and added four steals.

The Cavaliers were out-rebounded, 41-37. UVa forced 25 Wolfpack turnovers and converted 22 points off of those turnovers.

Virginia will have a week before its next game. The Cavaliers host Clemson on Sunday, Feb. 12, at 2 p.m. The contest is part of the Play 4Kay initiative, formerly known as the WBCA Pink Zone, and fans are encouraged to wear pink in support of breast cancer awareness.