The UVA men’s tennis team (9-2) closed out its competition at the 2019 Oracle ITA National Men’s Team Indoor Championship with a 4-1 victory over Southern California (6-5) in a consolation match on Sunday at the Midtown Athletic Club in Chicago, Ill.

The Cavaliers won the doubles point and used victories at one and three singles to build up a 3-1 lead over USC. Senior Aswin Lizen (Douglas, Isle of Man) clinched the victory for Virginia with a win on court six.

In doubles, junior Carl Söderlund (Stockholm, Sweden) and freshman William Woodall (Washington, D.C.) got things started with a 7-5 victory on court one. Senior Henrik Wiersholm (Kirkland, Wash.) and freshman Brandon Nakashima (San Diego, Calif.) clinched the point by winning 6-3 on court two.

In singles, Nakashima picked up a dominant 6-3, 6-2 victory over Jack Jaede on court three to put UVA up 2-0. After the Trojans won on court five, Söderlund finished off a 6-1, 6-4 victory over No. 56 Brandon Holt on the top court. Lizen downed Jake Sands, 6-4, 6-1 to clinch the victory.

Senior Henrik Wiersholm (Kirkland, Wash.) had dropped his first set, 6-1, to No. 4 Daniel Cukierman, but had rallied in the second set and was leading, 5-3, when play was halted. Sophomore Gianni Ross (Chicago, Ill.) had been edged in a tiebreaker in his first set against No. 31 Laurens Verboven, but was leading 5-0 in the second set.

USC is ranked No. 5 in the latest Oracle ITA rankings, but was the No. 13 seed in the tournament. Virginia is ranked No. 13 in the most-recent Oracle ITA rankings, but was the No. 8 seed in the championship.

The Cavaliers opened the tournament with a 4-2 victory over 8-seed UCLA, before falling 4-0 to top-seeded Ohio State in Saturday’s quarterfinals. Ohio State and Wake Forest will compete on Monday in the tournament’s championship match.

The ITA Division I National Men’s Team Indoor Championship is in its 44th year of existence. Fifteen teams qualified for the event by winning their respective 2019 ITA Kick-Off Weekend four-team regional, while Illinois received an automatic bid for being the host site. The teams will compete in a single-elimination tournament over a four-day span to crown a national indoor champion. Each team is guaranteed three matches at the event.

Virginia 4, Southern California 1

Singles competition

1. Carl Soderlund (VA) def. #56 Brandon Holt (USC) 6-1, 6-4

2. Henrik Wiersholm (VA) vs. #4 Daniel Cukierman (USC) 1-6, 5-3, unfinished

3. Brandon Nakashima (VA) def. Jack Jaede (USC) 6-3, 6-2

4. 68 Gianni Ross (VA) vs. #31 Laurens Verboven (USC) 6-7, 5-0, unfinished

5. 72 Riley Smith (USC) def. Ryan Goetz (VA) 6-3, 6-3

6. Aswin Lizen (VA) def. Jake Sands (USC) 6-4, 6-1

Doubles competition

1. Carl Soderlund/William Woodall (VA) def. Brandon Holt/Riley Smith (USC) 7-5

2. Henrik Wiersholm/Brandon Nakashima (VA) def. Laurens Verboven/Jack Jaede (USC) 6-3

3. Gianni Ross/Aswin Lizen (VA) vs. #21 Daniel Cukierman/Tanner Smith (USC) 5-5, unfinished

Order of finish: Doubles (1,2); Singles (3,5,1,6)

Consolation match – ITA National Team Indoor