The University of Richmond men’s tennis team opened its season in Lynchburg, Virginia, this weekend, logging a 5-7 record in singles play and a 3-1 mark in doubles at the Liberty Hidden Duals. The Spiders faced off against a competitive field featuring UNC Wilmington, William & Mary, and VCU.
Schlenker Leads Singles Effort
Charlie Schlenker proved to be a standout performer over the three-day event, securing two victories for Richmond. He dispatched William & Mary’s Bryan Volk 6-3, 6-0 on Saturday before gutting out a 6-3, 5-7, 10-7 win against UNC Wilmington’s William Dean on Sunday.
Other Spiders found their rhythm in the later stages of the weekend. Dylan Atkinson mounted a comeback on Sunday to defeat UNC Wilmington’s Jose Pablo Coello 6-1, 3-6, 10-4. Sam Rathmanner notched a 6-4, 5-7, 6-4 victory over VCU’s Taisei Hata on Saturday, while Charlie Burdell bested William & Mary’s Theo Nilsson 6-2, 6-2 on Sunday. Cole Brashear also added a lopsided win to the ledger, topping Bryan Volk 6-0, 6-2.
Handling Difficult VCU Matchups
The transition to competition proved testing, particularly against crosstown rival VCU. The Rams took five matches from Richmond players on Saturday. Patrick Kenny also faced a tough outing on Friday, falling to UNC Wilmington’s Dean William in a tight 4-6, 6-1, 10-6 contest.
Doubles Dominance
Richmond found its greatest success in the doubles format, finishing the weekend with a strong 3-1 record. Paxton Pritchard and Cole Brashear paired up to defeat VCU’s Nicolo Consonni and Leon Zaorski 6-3. Patrick Kenny and Sam Rathmanner mirrored that scoreline, securing a 6-3 victory over VCU’s Jakoub Volesky and Yassin Wageh. Grant Cohen and Charlie Burdell rounded out the winning efforts by defeating VCU’s Patrik Petera and Theo Mottier 6-2. The only blemish in doubles play came when Dylan Atkinson and Andreas Chapides fell to William & Mary’s Bryan Volk and Alex Cohen 6-3.
Individual Match Results
The following list details the individual match outcomes reported from the Liberty Hidden Duals:
- Dean William (UNCW) def. Patrick Kenny (UR): 4-6, 6-1, 10-6
- Charlie Schlenker (UR) def. Bryan Volk (WM): 6-3, 6-0
- Jakoub Volesky (VCU) def. Charlie Burdell (UR): 6-2, 6-3
- Patrik Petera (VCU) def. Paxton Pritchard (UR): 6-1, 6-3
- Leon Zaorski (VCU) def. Andreas Chapides (UR): 6-3, 3-6, 6-1
- Nicolo Consonni (VCU) def. Cole Brashear (UR): 6-4, 6-0
- Sam Rathmanner (UR) def. Taisei Hata (VCU): 6-4, 5-7, 6-4
- Yassin Wageh (VCU) def. Grant Cohen (UR): 6-4, 6-3
- Dylan Atkinson (UR) def. Jose Pablo Coello (UNCW): 6-1, 3-6, 10-4
- Alejandro Pena (UNCW) def. Otto Sewell (UR): 6-3, 4-6, 10-6
- Charlie Schlenker (UR) def. William Dean (UNCW): 6-3, 5-7, 10-7
- Charlie Burdell (UR) def. Theo Nilsson (WM): 6-2, 6-2
- Cole Brashear (UR) def. Bryan Volk (WM): 6-0, 6-2