Cavs blank Wolverines to reach quarters

In Tulsa, Okla., Virginia junior Dom Inglot is a completely different player than he was only a month ago.
That was pretty obvious in Inglot’s first two NCAA Tournament matches that took place in Charlottesville — and it was again on Friday afternoon.
Inglot was on his game, hammering Michigan’s Andrew Mazlin, 6-3, 6-4, and propelling undefeated Virginia to a 4-0 win that moved the Cavaliers into a quarterfinal showdown with Baylor on Sunday.
“He served huge today,” said Virginia coach Brian Boland, whose team notched its 31st victory of the season, a school record. “I really feel he’s 100 percent healthy now, which is a big advantage for us. He’s back at full strength and I think that gives a lot of the other guys confidence.”
In April, Inglot — a player who relies on his serve-and-volley game — was not himself because of a sore right arm. The London native also battled the flu.
“It’s been a bit of a tough season,” said Inglot, speaking by phone from Tulsa, “but hopefully I’ve gone through everything I have to and can just buckle down, and everything will come together right now.”
It certainly did on Friday. Against Mazlin, Inglot got up 4-1 in the first set and never looked back.
“I had a high percentage of first serves in and when I do that it’s really difficult for the opponent to do a whole lot,” Inglot said. “When I hold my service games easily and then it comes to the opponent’s service games, he feels a lot of pressure because he knows if he slips up one time it’s going to be really difficult to break me.
“It took some time to get back from the injury, but now I’m serving well and I feel like when I’m serving well, the rest of my game will come together.”
Inglot was also strong in doubles, teaming with Michael Shabaz to beat Jason Jung and Mike Sproczynski, 8-4. The win, coupled with a victory by Houston Barrick and Sanam Singh, helped Virginia get off to a strong start by winning the doubles point — something it hadn’t been able to do in its Feb. 3 win over the Wolverines.
The momentum carried over to singles where Inglot, Shabaz and Treat Huey all prevailed in straight sets.
Somdev Devvarman, the top-ranked player in the country who is undefeated this season, was leading Matko Maravic, 7-5, 4-1 when play was halted after Virginia clinched.
“We’re going to have to continue to get better throughout the tournament,” Boland said, “but right now I’m really pleased with how we’re playing. I feel like things are clicking on all cylinders. We just need to stay focused and take it one match at a time.”
On Sunday, Virginia will play Baylor. The Bears defeated Tennessee, 4-1, in their Round of 16 match on Friday.
“They’re a tough opponent that has had a lot of success over the years,” Boland said. “We have a ton of respect for them. We’re going to have to play extremely well.”
If Virginia (31-0) gets past Baylor, it would take on the Georgia-Ole Miss winner in the semifinals on Monday.
The finals of the tournament, which will be broadcast on ESPNU, are set for Tuesday night.