May 11, 2002

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. -- The Virginia Tech men's tennis made a successful return to the NCAA Tournament after a one-year absence with a 4-2 victory over No. 23 North Carolina Saturday morning at the UT Varsity Center on the University of Tennessee campus. The Hokies advance to Sunday's 1 p.m. second round match against the winner of this afternoon's match between No. 5 Tennessee and No. 26 Wake Forest.

Tech (17-7), ranked No. 39, won two of the three doubles matches and won four of the five completed singles matches for the win. The singles competition was especially tight as all six matches went to the third set. With the match tied at 2-2 and each team leading one other match, Grant Reynolds (Jr., Midlothian, Va.) fought off four match points in the second set of his No. 6 match and defeated Andrew Metzler 6-7 (7), 7-5, 6-1 to give the Hokies a 3-2 edge.

The Hokies secured the win as Andreas Laulund (So., Odnese, Denmark) dropped the first set of his match against Geoff Boyd then battled back to win 3-6, 7-6 (7), 6-1. The Hokies other singles victory occurred at No. 2 as Francis Huot (Jr., Quebec City, Canada) routed Trystan Meniane 6-2, 6-1. Saber Kadiri (Jr., Algiers, Algeria) dropped a 6-3, 6-4 decision at No. 1 to the 21st-ranked Marcio Petrone while Stephane Rod (Fr., Lausanne, Switzerland) lost 2-6, 6-4, 6-2 at No. 3 to Daniel Pinchbeck. Davor Dupljak's (Sr., Karlovac, Croatia) No. 4 match against Nicholas Monroe was suspended in the third set once the team outcome had been decided.

The doubles point was decided in dramatic fashion as Tech's No. 2 team of Dupljak and Kadiri won 9-7 in a tie-breaker over Monroe and Pinchbeck. Huot teamed with Michael Kurz (Jr., Stuttgart, Germany) to win the No. 3 match 8-4 against Boyd and Meniane. Tech fell in the first doubles match at the No. 1 position as Laulund and Rod lost 8-5 to Greg Archer and Petrone.

"We've really worked hard all year to put ourselves in this position," said Tech head coach Jim Thompson. "The doubles point was big for us, be we also saved four match points at No. 6, and what a great effort Grant Reynolds gave us today."

No. 39 Virginia Tech 4, No. 23 North Carolina 2

SINGLES
No. 1 #21 Marcio Petrone (UNC) def. #70 Saber Kadiri (VT) 6-3, 6-4
No. 2 Francis Huot (VT) def. #110 Trystan Meniane (UNC) 6-2, 6-1
No. 3 Daniel Pinchbeck (UNC) def. Stephane Rod (VT) 2-6, 6-4, 6-2
No. 4 Davor Dupljak (VT) vs. Nicholas Monroe (UNC) 6-4, 5-7, 1-5 (suspended)
No. 5 Andreas Laulund (VT) def. Geoff Boyd (UNC) 3-6, 7-6 (7), 6-1*
No. 6 Grant Reynolds (VT) def. Andy Metzler (UNC) 6-7 (7), 7-5, 6-1
*Clinching Point

DOUBLES
No. 1 Archer/Petorne (UNC) def. Laulund/Rod (VT) 8-5
No. 2 Dupljak/Kadiri (VT) def. Monroe/Pinchbeck (UNC) 9-7 (7)*
No. 3 Huot/Kurz (VT) def. Boyd/Meniane (UNC) 8-4
*Clinching Point