University of Virginia Library

Netters Top Duke, Tech, GW

By Hugh Carter
Cavalier Daily Staff Writer

The University of Virginia tennis
team capped a fine season Sunday
with an 8-1 rout of a good George
Washington squad on the Lady
Astor Courts. The victory
highlighted a three-wins in
three-days performance for the
netters this past weekend.

Number one player Jeff Podesta
led the Cavaliers as he defeated
GW's Jonathan Damon, 2-6, 6-2,
6-4, in a close match. Doug
Waterman won handily at the
second slot as did Rick Swift, Jim
Radliff, and Herb Beskin at the
fourth, fifth, and sixth positions,
respectively.

In the third singles, Bob Kain
weathered a strong challenge from
the Colonials' Seymor Abroms to
take a 3-6, 6-2, 6-1 victory. Damon
and Legum came back in the
number one doubles to gain the
only point of the day for GW with
a three-set win over Podesta and
Kain. Swift-Radliff and Dick
Kaspers-Frank Spratlin secured the
final two points of the match for
Virginia in the last two doubles.

On Friday, the netters played
host to the Duke team, and came
away a solid 7-2 conqueror. As it
was an ACC match, the victory was
important to the Cavaliers in the
seedings for the upcoming ACC
tournament.

Podesta lost a long match to
Duke's Jim Strawinski, 6-2, 2-6,
8-6, at number one, and Waterman
was defeated on the second court in
three sets, as things looked dim for
the racquetmen.

The match then took a complete
about-face as Virginia won the next
seven confrontations to finish the
ACC season 3-2-1 and in third
place. Kain, Swift, Radliff, and
Beskin picked up wins in the singles
and then Podesta and Kain, Swift
and Radliff and Kaspers and
Spratlin teamed to gain the final
three points in the doubles.

On Saturday, the netters
traveled to Blacksburg to face the
Virginia Tech squad. The Cavaliers
swept the singles as Kain, Swift,
Radliff, and Beskin all gained their
second of three weekend victories.
Podesta and Waterman also won
and finished the weekend with two
wins and one loss. The number one
and two doubles teams lost but
Coach Burris' charges took the
match, 7-2.

The team finished the regular
season with a surprising 13-3-1
record. The young squad rounds
out their year with the ACC
tournament on May 13.