May 13, 2006

Photo Gallery

Charlottesville, Va. - The 28th-ranked Wake Forest men's tennis team sailed past 33rd-ranked Kentucky, 4-0, in the first round of the NCAA Championships in Charlottesville, Va., on Saturday afternoon. The Demon Deacons advance to the second round for the third time in four seasons.

Wake Forest will face seventh-ranked Virginia on Sunday at high noon with a trip to Palo Alto, Calif., on the line and a berth in the the Sweet 16. The Cavaliers defeated Army, 4-0, in the first match of the day at the Snyder Tennis Center.

In Saturday's first round meeting with Kentucky, the Deacons came out with authority, capturing the doubles point with ease. At number two, freshman Cory Parr and junior Todd Paul won, 8-0, in just 39 minutes. Less than 10 minutes later, sophomore Mariusz Adamski and junior Andrew Hamar gave Wake Forest a 1-0 lead by winning 8-3.

In singles, the lower half of the Deacon lineup did the damage. Parr needed just 58 minutes to breeze past Carey Rubin at number four, 6-0, 6-3. Senior Liron Strauss followed at number six with a 6-4, 6-0 win against Kyle Virgin. Adamski put the finishing touches on the victory at number five, winning 6-3, 7-5. Adamski and Kentucky's Greg Anderson were on serve at five-all in the second set, but Adamski broke Anderson's serve and then won four straight points to seal the match.

The remaining three matches were abandoned, but Todd Paul, Andrew Hamar and Brett Ross led in each of their matches. Hamar and Ross were both in third sets.

Wake Forest improved its overall record to 16-10 while Kentucky saw its season come to a close at 16-10.

The Deacons are in the NCAA second round for only the third time in school history and are seeking their first ever Sweet 16 appearance. Wake Forest and Virginia met earlier this year at the Snyder Tennis Center and the `Hoos won, 6-1.

#28 Wake Forest 4, #33 Kentucky 0
#1 -     #18 Todd Paul (WF) led #37 Alex Hume (UK)
         DNF (WF led) -- 6-4, 3-4
#2 -     Andrew Hamar (WF) led #85 Bruno Agonstinelli (UK)
         DNF (WF led) -- 2-6, 6-2, 1-0
#3 -     Brett Ross (WF) led Marcus Sundh (UK)
         DNF (WF led) -- 6-1, 4-6, 3-2
#4 -     Cory Parr (WF) def. Carey Rubin (UK)
         WF -- 6-0, 6-3
#5 -     Mariusz Adamski (WF) def. Greg Anderson (UK)
         WF -- 6-3, 7-5
#6 -     Liron Strauss (WF) def. Kyle Virgin (UK)
         WF -- 6-4, 6-0
Order of Finish:  4, 6, 5   
#1 -     Ross/Sartor (WF) led Hume/Sundh (UK)
         DNF (WF led) -- 5-4
#2 -     Parr/Paul (WF) def. Rubin/Anderson (UK)
         WF -- 8-0
#3 -     Adamski/Hamar (WF) def. Agostinelli/Collins (UK)
         WF -- 8-3

Order of Finish:  2, 3