April 7, 2002
COLLEGE PARK, Md.- As the last point was won, the fans inside the Tennis Center At College Park rose to their feet in enjoyment and the members of the team jumped up and celebrated as the Maryland men's tennis squad accomplished what no one thought they could do. The Terrapins, the only team in the conference without scholarship players on the roster, defeated NC State, 4-3, on Sunday to earn their first ACC victory in 10 years.
It was a tight battle throughout that saw momentum switch sides with each point in every match.
After the Terps captured the all-important doubles point by winning two of three tightly-contested matches, NC State and Maryland traded points in singles setting up a dramatic ending.
After freshman David Reichsfeld (Santa Cruz, Bolivia) disposed of John Davis of NC State, 6-1, 6-3, at the No. 6 singles position to knot the match up at three points a piece, the focus turned to the top singles position. Freshman Haris Causevic (Silver Spring, Md.) and Matt Lucas were engaged in a seesaw battle at the No. 1 spot that came down to the last point. After Lucas battled back to force a tiebreaker in the third and deciding set, Causevic fed off the cheers of his teammates and the crowd and regrouped to win his ninth match of the season, securing a milestone in the program's 49 year history.
Senior Jonathan Murchison (Orchard Park, N.Y.) beat the Wolfpack's Bryce McGrory, 3-6, 7-5, 6-2, for his fourth victory of the spring season. Freshman Troy Demers (Annapolis, Md.) came up short at the No. 3 spot, losing to R.J. Murray, 6-4, 6-2. Junior Chris Chiu fell to Ryan Boward of NC State in three sets, 3-6, 6-4, 6-3. At the No. 5 singles position, NC State's Shane Sealy defeated junior Greg Chambers, 6-1, 6-1.
The doubles point came down to the last match as well. After each team won a match with the Terps winning at the No. 2 spot while the Wolfpack captured the victory at the No. 3 spot, it came down to the third and final match. Maryland's top doubles team of Causevic and Murchison, ranked 50th in the nation, engaged in a hard fought battle with Lucas and Murray but pulled out a victory in the match tiebreaker, 9-8 (5), to win the point for Terrapins.
This is the first ACC win for Maryland since the Terrapins defeated NC State in 1992. Maryland has been the only team in the conference without the aid of scholarships for the past 12 seasons. Sunday's win marks the second time the Terps have won a conference match in that span.
Head Coach of the men's team, Jim Laitta was very emotional after the win, saying, "This is our national championship. No one ever thought we could win. I'm so happy for these guys. No team has maximized their performance with their talent as much as we have. I have won a national championship and have coached All-Americans in my career, but this is the biggest win and the biggest thrill in my career."
The Terrapins have little time to savor the victory as Virginia comes to the Tennis Center At College Park to do battle with Maryland on Tuesday at 2:30 p.m. Coach Laitta's squad looks to extend its conference-winning streak to two matches and earn its eighth match victory of the season against the Cavaliers.
Maryland 4, NC State 3
Singles
No. 1 Haris Causevic (MD) def. Matt Lucas (NCSU), 3-6, 6-3, 7-6 (4)
No. 2 Ryan Boward (NCSU) def. Chris Chiu (MD), 3-6, 6-4, 6-3
No. 3 R.J. Murray (NCSU) def. Troy Demers (MD), 6-4, 6-2
No. 4 Jonathan Murchison (MD) def. Bryce McGrory (NCSU), 3-6, 7-5, 6-2
No. 5 Shane Sealy (NCSU) def. Greg Chambers (MD), 6-1, 6-1
No. 6 David Reichsfeld (MD) def. John Davis (NCSU), 6-1, 6-3
Doubles
No. 1 Causevic/Murchison (MD) def. Lucas/Murray (NCSU), 9-8 (5)
No. 2 Demers/Reichsfeld (MD) def. Davis/McGrory (NCSU), 8-2
No. 3 Boward/Deval Desai (NCSU) def. Chambers/Chiu (MD), 8-5
