Virginia men snag tennis championship
Early in their NCAA championship match against the University of Texas, the Virginia men’s tennis team found itself in a familiar position.
The Cavaliers dropped the opening doubles point, falling behind for the third time in the tournament. But once again, Virginia rallied. Winning four of the final six points, the fourth-seeded Cavaliers defeated the second-seeded Longhorns 4-3 to win the program’s seventh NCAA title May 17 at the Magill Tennis Complex at the University of Georgia.
“That’s our culture out there, just a never-say-die attitude,” coach Andres Pedroso told virginiasports.com. The title was Virginia’s third under Pedroso, who also guided the Cavaliers to championships in 2022 and 2023. Unlike those teams, which won several matches in lopsided fashion on their way to the title, this year’s group had to “soul search and just go into really dark places to find ways to win in the middle of matches,” Pedroso said.
Before beating Texas, Virginia defeated top-seeded Wake Forest 4-3 on May 16 to reach the championship, again coming from behind.
No. 1 singles player Dylan Dietrich (Data class of ’27), who clinched the title for Virginia, was named tournament MVP and was later named Intercollegiate Tennis Association Men’s Tennis National Player of the Year. Pedroso was named ITA coach of the year.
The team title was the 37th in the history of Virginia Athletics. With this win, men’s tennis tied the men’s soccer and men’s lacrosse programs, which also have seven.
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