University of Virginia Library

ACC Co-champs Fall, 7-2

Netters Stun USC

Photo By Bob Gill

Biff Cooper Lashes Into Backhand Service Return En Route To Decision Over USC Opponent

Coach Gordon Burris' Netmen Routed Defending ACC Co-champions Yesterday By 7-2 Margin

In an astounding display of the
high quality tennis once considered
non-existent at Virginia Coach
Gordon Burris' young Cavalier
netters came up with a 7-2 upset
over defending ACC champion
South Carolina yesterday on the
Lady Astor Courts.

Sporting a 39-1 record over the
last three years, the Gamecocks
didn't even bother to acknowledge
their presence in Charlottesville
until match time when the all-star
squad, including two defending
ACC singles titleists and the second-ranked
player in the Middle Atlantic
States, casually sauntered onto
the courts for what would surely
prove to be their fourteenth win of
the season. It didn't.

Bobby Heald, defending ACC
singles champ at the number one
position, pulled off the only Gamecock
victory with a 6-4, 6-1
trouncing of Mike Eikenberry to
extend his undefeated mark Little
did he know that the five remaining
matches would all fall in favor of
the Cavaliers.

Andy Scheinman, the third man
on Burris' ladder, was first to step
off the court with a Virginia win.
Having established a strong baseline
game in the first set, Scheinman
began to attack the net and score
steadily on deep volleys. The result
was a 6-2, 6-0 decision.

On the next court John Winter
was having just as easy a time with
USC's Bill Austin. Austin's feeble
returns of the infamous Winter
bullet serve provided ample time
for John to set up for put-away
volleys and a 6-4, 6-1 victory.

Henry Ragle was the next
Gamecock to fall - this time at the
hands of undefeated Doug Waterman.
Ragle, who had previously
played in the number four slot, did
not prove to be as much of a
challenge to the Cavalier first-year
man as had been expected. For the
ninth time of the season Waterman's
consistent ground strokes
provided him with the weapon to
record a 6-3, 6-0 tally for the
Cavalier cause.

The score read 3-1 at this point
in favor of Burris' boys, but
according to pre-match predictions
of a three-three split the next two
would fall to the Gamecocks.

Jeff Podesta, with a 8-1 record
at the number two position, met
undefeated Jay Schlosser in what
turned out to be the marathon of
the season. Schlosser, who had
previously been able to wear down
his opponents with a continuous
with exactly the same strategy. The
result was a psychological battle
which finally climaxed with a 6-3
third set decision to give the
Cavaliers their fourth tally of the
day.

The most amazing match was
undoubtedly at the number five
spot where the Cavaliers' Biff
Cooper met defending ACC champion
Stuart Reynolds. Cooper used
his newly acquired aluminum
Racquet to best avail in rallying from
a 4-5 deficit in the first set to win
7-5. Reynolds came back in the
second to take it 6-4, but the
talented Cavalier began to return
his opponent's serve well in the
third to break service twice and win
the match by a 7-5, 4-6, 6-2 score.

With the score at an already
decisive 5-1 in Virginia's favor and
on account of a slight drizzle, the
coaches decided to play the doubles
matches by pro rules - one set of
eight games. However not to take
the situation lightly the Cavaliers
rose to the challenge and won two
of the three contests to embarrass
the Gamecocks more with a final
score of 7-2. USC's undefeated duo
of Heald and Schlosser could not
handle the quick volleying of
Podesta and Eikenberry as they fell,
8-3.