Cavalier Corner is the publication just for UVa sports fans!
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/686376
State there were some troubling signs. Shane, who had a bull's-eye on him all year after winning the previous season's na- tional singles title, lost to Leo Stakhovsky. Meanwhile, second-year Colin Altamirano, Virginia's No. 2 player, couldn't close out what looked like an easy victory. UVA would go on to win 4-1, but there was an uneasy feeling afterward. "We're going to need to play better than that and finish matches," Boland said. "We made it a little bit harder on ourselves than we needed to, but at the same time I liked how we played the first half of the match. And then, for whatever reason, we struggled to finish." The bright spot for Virginia was the play of third-year Thai-Son Kwiatkowski, who beat Matt Barry — a player he had struggled against in the tournament two years before — 6-1, 6-0 at No. 3 singles. Five days later, after the action moved to Tulsa, Okla., Virginia beat Oklahoma State 4-2 in the round of 16. Virginia then had convincing 4-0 wins over Florida and California to move into the finals against Oklahoma. In a rematch of the 2015 finals, UVA won the doubles point, and then got wins from third-year J.C. Aragone and Kwiatkowski to set the stage for Wiersholm. On the final point of the season, Wier- sholm hit a second serve that was netted. Just before he was swarmed by his teammates, Wiersholm threw his hat into the air. "To go back-to-back is definitely some- thing we talked about," said Wiersholm, after emerging from the bottom of the pile. "We just believed in it the whole way and believed that we could do it." "Not a lot of people can say they've won two national titles," Aragone said. "It's some- thing that is a great accomplishment, and we don't take for granted at all." For Boland, who was doused in Gatorade by his players, the victory was especially sweet. It marked the first national champion- ship that his parents were able to attend. "That was a huge joy to have my dad, Bernie, and my mom, Donna, there — I can't thank them enough," said Boland, whose brother, Dan, was also in attendance. "There's nothing like family. I'm really grateful for my parents for everything they've done. They've taught me a lot, and I'm just really humbled about it." Second-year Alex Ritschard, Aragone and Wiersholm, playing out of the Nos. 4, 5 and 6 singles positions, respectively, were instru- mental throughout the tournament. Wiersholm went 4-0 in Tulsa; Ritschard and Aragone went a combined 4-1. "I liked the courts — I thought they suited my game well," Wiersholm said. "But I also thought I just had the right mentality in that I was just going to focus and do my job for the team. I think that's what made me suc- cessful." The fourth-year class of, from left to right, Harrison Richmond, Mac Styslinger, Ryan Shane and Jonathan Cornish helped UVA claim the NCAA championship trophy in 2013, 2015 and 2016. PHOTO BY MATT RILEY/COURTESY UVA