Devvarman Repeats as NCAA Singles Champion
Courtesy: VirginiaSports.com
Release: 05/26/2008

TULSA, Okla. – Somdev Devvarman (Chennai, India) concluded his collegiate career Monday by winning his second consecutive NCAA Singles Championship with a 6-3, 6-2 win over J.P. Smith of Tennessee in the 2008 final at the Michael D. Case Tennis Center. Devvarman needed barely an hour to win the match and complete a resume that ranks among the greatest in collegiate tennis history.

With the victory, Devvarman becomes the 13th player in the 124-year history of the tournament to win consecutive titles, and just the fourth to do so in the past 50 years. He joins Georgia’s Mikael Pernfors (1984 and 1985) and Matias Boeker (2001 and 2002) to win consecutive NCAA Singles Championships since the current 64-player tournament format was adopted in 1977. Devvarman becomes the first player since USC’s Dennis Ralston (1963 and 1964) to win consecutive titles without winning at least one of them on his home courts. He also joins Arizona State’s Sargin Sargsian (1995) and UCLA’s Benjamin Kohlloeffel (2006) as the only players to win the ITA National Indoor Singles Championship and NCAA Singles Championship in the same season. The win was also his 18th career NCAA Singles Tournament victory, extending his record for most in the current tournament format.

“There was a little bit of a different feel this year than last year,” said Devvarman. “Last year there was a bigger crowd and it was No. 1 vs. No. 2 instead of No. 1 vs. an unseeded player. But that didn’t change how I prepared for the match. I was focused and played well. This one is probably more special because it came in my last match as a Cavalier.”

The match against Smith, the first unseeded player to reach the final since Virginia’s Brian Vahaly in 2001, was close early in the first set. Neither player had a chance to break until Devvarman took advantage of the match’s first break point opportunity to take a 5-3 lead. He held serve in the ensuing game to win the first set 6-3.

In the second set, Devvarman’s momentum continued as he won a five-deuce game to break Smith’s serve in the first game of the set. After holding in his first service game, he broke Smith’s serve again to lead 3-0. He held that two-break advantage the remainder of the set and closed out the 6-3, 6-2 win.

“Somdev came into this match really prepared and focused,” said head coach Brian Boland. “As he has all week long, his serve really helped him today. He was able to win a lot of free points because of it. Early on, J.P. was serving well too. But as the match went along, he got fewer first serves in and Somdev was able to take advantage of it, hitting the ball deep and keeping J.P. off the net where he likes to play. It was on serve at 4-3 in the first when J.P. had a bit of a loose game and Somdev broke him. That was the turning point because it gave Somdev all the momentum and he never gave it up.”

Devvarman ends the season with a 44-1 singes record, tying the school record for wins in a season he set a year before. He is believed to be the first NCAA Singles Champion to finish the season with one or fewer losses since UCLA’s Jimmy Connors went undefeated in 1971. Since then, NCAA Champions have included Georgia’s Pernfors, Stanford’s John McEnroe, Stanford’s Tim Mayotte, and Texas’s Kevin Curren, all of whom went on to be ranked in the world top 20, but lost multiple times in college during their championship season.

“To end my career like this is very special,” said Devvarman. “I wasn’t just playing for myself, I was playing for Virginia for the last time. I was playing for my teammates and my coaches too. The loss in the team tournament was so hard to take, but this was the best way to try to cheer everyone up a little bit.”

Devvarman ends his Cavalier career with a 158-27 career singles record, setting the school record for career victories. He was 88-6 over his final two seasons at Virginia. Devvarman concluded his career on a school record 36-match winning streak.

“I can’t imagine any program having someone represent it better than Somdev Devvarman represented the University of Virginia,” said Boland. “He is a better person than a tennis player and that is saying a lot because he is an incredible player. The guy loves this school. He bleeds orange and blue. His legacy with be with us forever. Having seen for four years how he handles himself and goes about his game, I know he will have a very successful career as a pro.”

The final will be broadcast by the Tennis Channel on a tape delay basis. Currently, the network's schedule lists the match as airing at 8 p.m. on Monday, June 9.

 

Star caps stellar career
By Jay Jenkins
Published: May 27, 2008

Jimmy Connors and John McEnroe are considered two of the best tennis players to ever compete at the NCAA level.
Well, Connors and McEnroe — along with just everybody else — can now take a backseat to Virginia’s Somdev Devvarman.
With a dominating 6-3,
6-2 win over Tennessee’s J.P. Smith on Monday night, the senior won his second straight NCAA singles title. He also may have staked claim to an auspicious title: greatest collegiate men’s player of all time.
Virginia coach Brian Boland certainly thinks so.
“Go back in history and try to find one player with not only the results he’s had, but the impact he’s had on a program,” said Boland by phone from Tulsa, Okla. “To be in three straight NCAA finals and win two of them — and the manner in which he did it. He’s broken every record that’s ever existed — not only at Virginia, but in the NCAA.
“He’s a special player and arguably the greatest player to ever play college tennis. If he’s not, he’s in a very small group of people.”
With the victory, Devvarman became the 13th player in the 124-year history of the tournament to win consecutive titles, and just the fourth to do so in the past 50 years.
He joined Arizona State’s Sargin Sargsian (1995) and UCLA’s Benjamin Kohlloeffel (2006) as the only players to win the ITA National Indoor Singles Championship and NCAA Singles Championship in the same season.
“That’s very special,” said Devvarman when asked about his place in history, “but I’ll let people decide wherever I stand. I’m just really happy with the way I’ve gone through my entire college career. I’ve put in a lot of time and hard work and I couldn’t be more happy with the way this ended.
“I’m not very happy about the way the team tournament ended [in an upset semifinal loss to Georgia], but this is one way I could try and get some smiles to the guys on the team. This is definitely a good makeup for that.”
At the post-match press conference, all Devvarman wanted to talk about was his team. When Devvarman accepted the NCAA trophy, the first thing he did was thank teammates and coaches.
It’s that kind of selflessness that has made Devvarman so special, Boland said.
“He loves to share victory and is so quick to give credit to everyone around him,” Boland said. “The guy is so rare. He’s so humble and just an incredibly, caring, compassionate and wonderful human being who just loves people.
“He’s one of the most incredible student-athletes that I’ve ever had the opportunity to coach.”
Devvarman finished with a 158-27 singles record, setting the school record for career victories. The senior was a staggering 88-6 over his final two seasons and concluded his career on a school-record 36-match win streak.
How, exactly, was he able to accomplish all of this?
“The most important thing was work ethic and heart,” Devvarman said. “When you get on the court, it’s all about heart. When you’re off the court, it’s all about work ethic.
“Those are the two things I’ve always put a lot of emphasis on.”
Devvarman ended the season with a 44-1 singles record. He is believed to be the first NCAA singles champion to finish the season with one or fewer losses since Connors went undefeated for UCLA in 1971.
Since then, NCAA Champions have included McEnroe (Stanford), Mikael Pernfors (Georgia) and Kevin Curren (Texas), all of whom went on to be ranked in the world Top 20 after they turned pro.
Devvarman is looking forward to a pro career, but said he will take about two weeks off before he comes up with an exact game plan.
In August, you might very well find the 23-year-old competing in the U.S. Open. The tournament typically grants a wild-card entry to the NCAA champion. But since Devvarman, a native of India, isn’t a U.S. citizen, an invitation isn’t automatic.
However, you’d think the U.S. Open might want one of the greatest — if not the greatest — college players of all time in its field.
“I have no control over that,” Devvarman said. “I’m just going to keep practicing and trying to get better.”
That plan has worked pretty well so far.


 

Devvarman repeats

Devvarman repeats

TULSA, Okla. -- Virginia's Somdev Devvarman concluded his collegiate career Monday by winning his second consecutive NCAA Singles Championship with a 6-3, 6-2 win over J.P. Smith of Tennessee.

Devvarman becomes the 13th player in the 124-year history of the tournament to win consecutive titles, and just the fourth to do so in the past 50 years. He joins Georgia's Mikael Pernfors (1984 and 1985) and Matias Boeker (2001 and 2002) to win consecutive NCAA Singles Championships since the current 64-player tournament format was adopted in 1977. Devvarman becomes the first player since USC's Dennis Ralston (1963 and 1964) to win consecutive titles without winning at least one of them on his home courts.

He also joins Arizona State's Sargis Sargsian (1995) and UCLA's Benjamin Kohlloeffel (2006) as the only players to win the ITA National Indoor Singles Championship and NCAA Singles Championship in the same season.

UVa baseball team plays UCLA

CHARLOTTESVILLE -- The Virginia baseball team has earned an at-large selection in the NCAA Fullerton Regional, the NCAA Division I Baseball Committee announced.

Virginia earned a No. 3 seed and will face No. 2-seed UCLA on Friday at 7 p.m., in Fullerton, Calif.

Host Cal State Fullerton, the No. 5 national seed, will take on Rider at 11 p.m. All games in the Fullerton bracket will be televised on ESPNU.

Virginia has not taken on Rider since 1987. UVa holds a 3-0 edge in the all-time series with the Broncs.

UCLA went 31-25 (18-13 Pac-10) in the regular season and earned an at-large bid to the tournament as the Bruins make their third straight NCAA appearance.

Rider (29-26, 16-16) won the MAAC tournament championship as the No. 4 seed and will be competing in its first NCAA regional since 1994.

Cal State Fullerton (37-19, 16-8), the Big West co-champion with Long Beach State, is in the postseason for the 17th straight season and the 30th time in 34 years at the Division I level.

The Fullerton Regional will pair with the Stanford Regional. The Stanford Regional will feature Stanford (1), Pepperdine (2), Arkansas (3), and UC Davis (4).

Virginia is one of six ACC teams to make the field. Miami is the No. 1 seed overall, while North Carolina is No. 2. Florida State, Georgia Tech and N.C. State are in the tournament. James Madison is also in the tournament.

-- Staff reports
 

U.Va. in California, JMU in Raleigh for baseball matchups
Tuesday, May 27, 2008 - 12:06 AM Updated: 02:28 AM
By JEFF WHITE
TIMES-DISPATCH STAFF WRITER

Win or lose Sunday, the University of Virginia baseball team knew it was headed to the NCAA baseball tournament.

James Madison University's position a day earlier had been more precarious. To be assured a spot in the NCAAs, the Dukes knew, they needed to win the Colonial Athletic Association tournament. JMU came through, trouncing Towson in Wilmington, N.C., to secure the CAA's automatic bid.

"It's really a dream come true," Madison designated hitter Lee Bujakowski said.

The field for the NCAA tourney was announced yesterday, and U.Va. and Madison are the only teams from this state. The 64 teams are split into 16 double-elimination regionals for the tournament's first weekend. Virginia, an at-large representative, is headed to Fullerton, Calif., as a No. 3 seed. JMU, a No. 4 seed, is bound for Raleigh, N.C.

"It's nice for our supporters and our family members that it's fairly close," Dukes coach Spanky McFarland said.

U.Va. (38-21) will face No. 2 seed UCLA (31-25) at 7 p.m. EDT on Friday. Cal State-Fullerton (37-19) is seeded first in its regional, and Rider (29-26) is No. 4. ESPNU will televise every game from the Fullerton regional.

The Cavaliers never have faced a team from California or played in that state.

In Raleigh, N.C. State (38-20) is seeded No. 1, South Carolina (38-21) is No. 2 and UNC Charlotte (43-14) is No. 3. The starting time for JMU's game Friday against N.C. State will be announced today.

For the Dukes, it will be their seventh appearance in the NCAA tournament and first since 2002. In 1983, JMU advanced to the College World Series, and it remains the only Virginia team to have done so.

Freshmen and sophomores dominate this Madison team, which in February wasn't considered a CAA contender. "This year we were kind of reloading, rebuilding," McFarland said, "and to be honest I don't think anybody on our team expected us to get the NCAA when the season started."

Expectations changed as the season progressed, and JMU enters the NCAAs on a six-game winning streak. To get back to the NCAA tournament, McFarland said, is "kind of just a validation that we're doing things the right way."

Virginia, meanwhile, is headed to the NCAAs for the fifth straight season, a school record. "It's a lot to be proud of," said fifth-year coach Brian O'Connor, whose team was a regional host in 2004, '05 and '07.

U.Va. has yet to advance past the NCAA tourney's opening weekend under O'Connor, but his latest team comes in with its confidence soaring. At the ACC tourney in Jacksonville, the sixth-seeded Wahoos upset North Carolina and Florida State to advance to the championship game, in which they lost Sunday to Miami.

In the NCAA tournament, Miami is seeded No. 1 overall. Carolina is No. 2 and FSU is No. 4. Cal State-Fullerton is No. 5. "To beat North Carolina and Florida State and to lose the title game to the overall No.1 seed in the [NCAAs] says a lot," O'Connor said. "I think our players believe we can win."

The NCAA field includes six teams from the ACC and two from the CAA.

 

Virginia headed west for NCAAs
By Jay Jenkins
Published: May 27, 2008

As Virginia completed a pair of games well after 1 a.m. last week at the ACC baseball tournament in Jacksonville, Fla., a joke spread around the stadium that the Cavaliers were playing on Pacific Daylight Time.
On Monday, that quip became reality — Virginia was officially shipped out west for the opening round of the NCAA tournament.
“We have been playing West Coast games for a while so we are accustomed to it,” chuckled Virginia coach Brian O’Connor.
His team, which is 38-21 overall, drew an at-large bid and the No. 3 seed in the four-team Fullerton regional in California.
UVa will open play Friday at 7 p.m. (EST) against second-seeded UCLA (31-25), and Cal State Fullerton (37-19), the regional’s top seed and the No. 5 national seed, will host Rider (29-26) at 11 p.m.
After winning contests over North Carolina and Florida State to advance to the ACC tournament’s title game, O’Connor knew his team was securely positioned to play in the postseason.
“I feel like we have earned it over the last three weeks and that says something about this team,” O’Connor said. “To play a series with North Carolina and then with Georgia Tech and then play North Carolina, Florida State, Wake Forest and Miami as tough as we did down the stretch run says a lot about this team.
“We earned this opportunity to go to Fullerton to the regional. Our last 15 games have been against some incredible teams. We have been battle-tested and we have played some of the best teams in the country and the same thing is going to be out at Fullerton.”
As the regional’s host and a national seed, Fullerton is a heavy favorite. The Titans advanced to the College World Series in each of the past two seasons and have won four national titles.
UCLA may be just as dangerous. Loaded with tons of professional prospects, the Bruins entered the season as the nation’s top-ranked team
before early-season struggles led to their departure from the national poll.
“Cal State Fullerton has a rich tradition with its baseball program,” O’Connor said, “and we know that UCLA has a very, very good program and it has a deep in tradition, too.”
After sliding onto the bubble late in the season, earning a fifth straight bid was “rewarding” for the senior class, said pitcher Pat McAnaney.
“During the course of the season and the ups and downs, that thought comes to your mind and you think, ‘What if we were to not make a regional?’ That would be a tough way to go out after making it three straight years,” he added. “Hoping that this year is the year we get over [the regional] hump and not making it would have been rough, but I think we are starting to play together as a team.
“We were all pretty confident that we were going to be in and when we found out where we were going everyone was pretty excited.”
The Fullerton regional will be one of 16 in the tournament and uses a double-elimination format. The winner of the regional will advance to meet the winner of the Stanford regional, which includes Stanford, Pepperdine, Arkansas and UC Davis.
O’Connor said he had not determined what his pitching rotation for the first two games would be, but plans to do so before departing on Wednesday.
He has four options: left-handers Matt Packer and McAnaney or right-handers Andrew Carraway and Jacob Thompson.

 

Baseball Earns No. 3 Seed in NCAA Fullerton Regional
Courtesy: VirginiaSports.com
Release: 05/26/2008

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – The Virginia baseball team has earned an at-large selection in the NCAA Fullerton Regional, the NCAA Division I Baseball Committee announced this afternoon. Virginia earned a No. 3 seed and will face No. 2-seed UCLA Friday at 7 p.m. EDT at Goodwin Field in Fullerton, Calif. Host Cal State Fullerton, the No. 5 national seed, will take on Rider at 11 p.m. EDT. All games in the Fullerton bracket will be televised nationally on ESPNU.

Game times for the Fullerton Regional are as follows:
Friday (May 30) - 7 p.m. and 11 p.m.

Saturday (May 31) - 7 p.m. and 11 p.m.
Sunday (June 1) - 7 p.m. and 11 p.m.
Monday (June 2) - 11 p.m. (if necessary)

Virginia is making its school-record fifth-consecutive NCAA regional appearance. The Cavaliers hosted regionals in three of the last four years and played in the Corvallis Regional in 2005.

The Virginia baseball program will be making its first-ever appearance in the state of California. In fact, the Cavaliers have never faced a team from the state of California. Virginia has not taken on Rider since 1987. UVa holds a 3-0 edge in the all-time series with the Broncs.

UCLA went 31-25 (18-13 Pac-10) in the regular season and earned an at-large bid to the tournament as the Bruins make their third straight NCAA appearance. Rider (29-26, 16-16) won the MAAC tournament championship as the No. 4 seed and will be competing in its first NCAA regional since 1994. Cal State Fullerton (37-19, 16-8), the Big West co-champion with Long Beach State, is in the postseason for the 17th straight season and the 30th time in 34 years at the Division I level.

The Fullerton Regional will pair with the Stanford Regional (Palo Alto, Calif.). The Stanford Regional will feature Stanford (1), Pepperdine (2), Arkansas (3), and UC Davis (4).

All-tournament tickets are available now for $80 (reserved) and $68 (general admission). Individual game tickets, which go on sale at 12:01 a.m. PDT Tuesday, are $20 (box seats), $15 (reserved) and $10 (general admission).

Tickets may be ordered online at www.FullertonTitans.com/tickets.html.

Fullerton Regional Schedule (all televised by ESPNU)
Friday, May 30
7 p.m. - Game 1: No. 2 UCLA vs. No. 3 Virginia
11 p.m. - Game 2: No. 1 Cal State Fullerton vs. No. 4 Rider

Saturday, June 1
7 p.m. - Game 3: Loser of Game 1 vs. Loser of Game 2
11 p.m. - Game 4: Winner of Game 1 vs. Winner of Game 2

Sunday, June 2
7 p.m. - Game 5: Winner Game 3 vs. Loser Game 4
11 p.m. - Game 6: Winner Game 4 vs. Winner Game 5

Monday, June 3
11 p.m. - Game 7: Winner Game 4 vs. Winner Game 5 (if necessary)

*second game each day to begin at 11 p.m. or 50 minutes after game one

 

Oscar Smith's Perry Jones commits to Virginia
Posted to: High Schools Sports
By Jami Frankenberry
The Virginian-Pilot
© May 26, 2008

Perry Jones, who holds Oscar Smith High School’s single-season and career leader in tackles, has committed to play at Virginia.

Jones, a 5-foot-8, 190-pounder, was a first-team All-Tidewater pick and the Southeastern District Defensive Player of the Year last year as a junior. He helped guide the Tigers to the Eastern Region Division 6 championship.

Oscar Smith coach Richard Morgan said Cavaliers coach Al Groh is getting “a complete player.”

“He’s getting everything you could possibly want in a football player,” Morgan added. Jones is “willing to do everything he can for his school to win. That’s what he’s done here.”

 

Cavs gain another commitment
By Jay Jenkins
Published: May 27, 2008

Perry Jones watched with amazement.
While some were focused intently on the commercials during the Super Bowl in 2007, the Chesapeake native watched every movement of Indianapolis Colts safety Bob Sanders.
Jones, a standout at Oscar Smith High, was fascinated how Sanders, a player most said was too small to play safety in college, could live up to the nickname “Hitman.”
The opportunity is now in place for Jones to prove his doubters wrong in the same fashion.
On Monday, Jones verbally committed to play football at Virginia, aware that he was most likely going to undergo a position switch, sliding from linebacker to safety. He became the ninth commitment for the Cavaliers in the Class of 2009 and the seventh from inside the state.
“I have been looking forward to playing safety since watching Sanders, my favorite football player, on TV,” Jones said. “He inspires me to do good at the position.
“When I first really noticed him two years ago, I heard about how he was only 5-foot-8 and that he basically had to walk on to his college team.”
Jones, who stands at 5-foot-9 and 178 pounds, followed in his brother’s footsteps playing linebacker at Oscar Smith. As a rookie, Jones watched his brother, Joseph, in uniform from the sidelines.
“When I was a freshman, I played J.V. and varsity and my brother was a starting linebacker,” said Jones, who also had one other offer from Boston College. “I didn’t start varsity until my sophomore year and when I was a freshman I was playing both games and I dressed out, but on Fridays I wouldn’t play very much.
“When my brother played, he was bigger than I am.”
His brother, now a student at Norfolk State, coached Jones and the team’s linebackers last year.
“He sees my potential and every mistake, he corrects it,” Jones said. “He is a big reason I have been as successful as I am right now.”
There were not many mistakes last season — Jones racked up 141 tackles and five interceptions, one of which he returned for a touchdown.
Interested in Virginia last year, Jones took a visit to watch the program play Pittsburgh. He was immediately sold on UVa.
“There was something about it … the intensity and how excited the fans were to see their home team play,” Jones said. “It just looked real good that night.”
Virginia waited to secure video of Jones, who was clocked at 4.3 in the
40-yard dash, playing safety. After that was obtained, an offer followed on Friday.
Three days later, and after lengthy discussions with his family and coaches, he jumped at the chance.
Jones said playing at Virginia provides him a well-needed challenge.
“I wanted to go somewhere that I had to work hard to earn a spot,” he said. “If I have to earn it, that is going to make me play better.”
Jones said he will not re-open the recruiting process, shifting his focus on encouraging teammate Timothy Smith to join him in Charlottesville. Smith, a wideout, has offers from numerous schools, including Maryland, UVa and West Virginia.
“It was real exciting getting it over with early,” he added, “and now I can focus on the rest of my high school career.”