Men's Tennis Falls to No. 24 NC State in Regular-Season Finale
April 15, 2007
RALEIGH, N.C. – Senior Luigi D’Agord (Freeport, Bahamas) picked up wins in both singles and doubles play on Sunday, but it wasn’t enough as the 33rd-ranked University of Miami men’s tennis team closed its 2007 regular season with a 4-3 loss to No. 24 NC State at J.W. Isenhour Tennis Center.
In two years with the Hurricanes, 20th-ranked D’Agord went undefeated in Atlantic Coast Conference singles competition and finishes the regular season with a 23-3 overall record and a perfect 11-0 mark in league play. He defeated NC State’s No. 61 Nick Cavaday in straight sets to preserve his conference streak.
“Luigi acomplished something really amazing,” noted head coach Mario Rincon. “The ACC has so many great players – particularly at No. 1 – that I didn’t think going undefeated could be possible. It says a lot about his mental toughness and his talent.”
The only other Hurricane to pick up an individual win on Sunday was freshman Barnabas Carrega (Basiglio, Italy), who knocked off the Wolfpack’s David Rozek, 2-6, 6-3, 1-0 (10-6), for his 12th overall win and third in ACC play at No. 6.
Miami started off strong, earning the doubles point courtesy of wins at the No. 1 and 3 doubles positions. Senior Josh Cohen (Weston, Fla./Laurel Springs) picked up his school-record tying 81st doubles win of his career as the 8th-ranked tandem of Cohen and D’Agord sailed past the No. 21 duo of Cavaday and William Noblitt, 8-2. Cohen ties the 30-year record set by John Eagleton and is the winningest Hurricane ever with a combined 169 singles and doubles wins in his four-year Miami career.
The No. 3 doubles pair of freshmen Hector Nieto (Key Biscayne, Fla./Coral Gables) and J.C. Whitner (Bradenton, Fla./Pendleton) won their third doubles match in ACC play, defeating the Pack’s David Rozek and Christian Welte, 8-6.
“NC State played really well today,” added Coach Rincon. “They had some really big servers on their team, which make it very difficult to beat them indoors. However, Hector and J.C. won the doubles point for us, and I am proud of them.”
The University of Miami men’s tennis team heads into tournament play this weekend. The 2007 ACC Men’s Tennis Championship will be held Thursday, April 19, through Sunday, April 22, at the Cary Tennis Center in Cary, N.C. Seedings will be announced on Monday.
No. 24 NC State 4, No. 33 Miami 3
Singles
1. No. 20 Luigi D’Agord (UM) def. No. 61 Nick Cavaday (NCSU), 6-3, 6-3
2. William Noblitt (NCSU) def. No. 55 Daniel Vallverdu (UM), 6-4, 6-4
3. Jay Weinacker (NCSU) def. Josh Cohen (UM), 6-2, 6-4
4. James McGee (NCSU) def. Vivek Subramanian (UM) 6-3, 6-1
5. Andre Iriarte (NCSU) def. J.C. Whitner (UM), 6-0, 6-2
6. Barnabas Carrega (UM) def. David Rozek (NCSU), 2-6, 6-3, 1-0 (10-6)
Doubles
1. No. 8 Josh Cohen/Luigi D’Agord (UM) def. No. 21 Nick Cavaday/William Noblitt (NCSU), 8-2
2. James McGee/Jay Weinacker (NCSU) def. Vivek Subramanian/Daniel Vallverdu (UM), 8-3
3. Hector Nieto/J.C. Whitner (UM) def. David Rozek/Christian Welte (NCSU), 8-6