RADFORD EARNS 9-0 VICTORY OVER BLUEFIELD

BLUEFIELD, Va. – Radford picked up its second win on the season, sweeping NAIA in-state foe Bluefield for 9-0 victory on Tuesday afternoon.

The match was played under the NCAA DII/III/NAIA scoring rules in which all three doubles matches counted as their own point and were played to eight points.

Radford dominated doubles action as the tandem of Alexandros Caldwell/Michiel Meekers dominated Gabe Poling and Yaroslav Hnatusko 8-2 in No. 3 doubles. Robin Calais and Rodrigo Magalhaes followed with an easy 8-1 decision in No. 1 doubles.

The Highlanders battled hard in No. 2 doubles as Carlos Sala and Matko Varga earned a 9-8 victory against Michael Gutu and Fedor Kulakov.

"It was good to come out on fire since we had a day off after the weekend matches," said head coach Rolando Vargas. "Bluefield came ready to play and gave us all we can handle in certain spots especially like No. 2 doubles, which showed that we can play well the key points."

Meekers opened singles play with a 6-1, 6-2 win over Kulakov in No. 4 singles. Leading 4-0 as a team, Sala clinched the match victory in No. 6 singles with a 6-2, 6-0 decision against Poling. Calais picked up an identical 6-2, 6-0 victory in No. 5 singles to push the Radford lead to 6-0.

Caldwell and Magalhaes had their hands full in singles play. In No. 2 singles, Caldwell had to fight for a 7-6, 7-6 victory versus Gutu. Magalhaes dropped a 4-6 opening set to Yamada, before batting back to even the match with a 6-3 set victory. The sophomore capped off the comeback with a 10-5 tiebreaker decision.

"In singles play, we kept the momentum early and showed resilience in No. 1 and No. 2 singles. They had a very good top of the lineup," Vargas noted. "This match should help us in our weekend matches."

Radford will host its first two games of the season as the Highlanders welcome NCAA Division II Belmont Abbey on Saturday for the home opener at 12 p.m. The Highlanders will open Big South play on Sunday against UNC Asheville in a 3 p.m., match.

Singles Competition

1. Rodrigo Magalhaes (Radford) def. Satoshi Yamada (BC) 4-6, 6-3, 10-5
2. Alexandros Caldwell (Radford) def. Michael Gutu (BC) 7-6, 7-6
3. Matko Varga (Radford) def. Rodrigo Huarachi (BC) 6-3, 6-2
4. Michiel Meekers (Radford) def. Fedor Kulakov (BC) 6-1, 6-2
5. Robin Calais (Radford) def. Yaroslav Hnatusko (BC) 6-2, 6-0
6. Carlos Sala (Radford) def. Gabe Poling (BC) 6-2, 6-0

Doubles Competition

1. Calais/Magalhaes (Radford) def. Yamada/Huarachi (BC) 8-1
2. Sala/Varga (Radford) def. Gutu/Kulakov (BC) 9-8
3. Caldwell/Meekers (Radford) def. Poling/Hnatusko (BC) 8-2

Match Notes
Radford (2-2)
Bluefield counted match as exhibition

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Players Mentioned

Robin Calais: 6' 0"; Sophomore

Alexandros Caldwell: 6' 1"; Junior

Rodrigo Magalhaes: 5' 10"; Sophomore

Michiel Meekers: 6' 5"; Redshirt Junior

Carlos Sala: 5' 11"; Senior

Matko Varga: 5' 10"; Sophomore

Players Mentioned

Robin Calais
: 6' 0"; Sophomore

Alexandros Caldwell
: 6' 1"; Junior

Rodrigo Magalhaes
: 5' 10"; Sophomore

Michiel Meekers
: 6' 5"; Redshirt Junior

Carlos Sala
: 5' 11"; Senior

Matko Varga
: 5' 10"; Sophomore