Score: VCU 5, Richmond 2
Location: Richmond, Va. (Thalhimer Tennis Center)
Records: VCU 3-2 (1-0 Atlantic-10), Richmond 0-3
 
The Short Story: VCU Men's Tennis fends off crosstown rival Richmond behind gritty performances across the lineup.
 
Quote from Coach Kutrovsky: "Gutsy effort from our team, it took everyone competing until the end to get the win. It just goes to show if you keep fighting you're keeping the door open for good things to happen. Happy to get the W, and hopefully we continue growing as a group."
 
Opening Serve

• Today's match marked the 17th meeting since 2011 in the crosstown rivalry between VCU and Richmond. In those 17 contests, the Rams have claimed all 17 victories, with the most recent prior to today coming in last spring's A-10 Semifinal, a 4-2 win.
• Richmond entered the afternoon at 0-2, while VCU came in at an even 2-2, and those records were reflected in the contest itself. During doubles play, each court was locked at 4-2 midway through play and again at 5-3. That pattern became the theme of the day, as the Rams were just a touch faster, dug a little deeper, and made the plays when it mattered most.

Doubles

• Doubles action began on Court 2 where Nicolo Consonni and Gevorg Mnatsakanyan started hot at 3-0, then 4-1. Momentum began to shift toward Richmond's Sam Rathmanner and Paxton Pritchard as they brought the match back to 4-3. But despite their efforts, the duo of Consonni and Mnatsakanyan fended off the Spiders to gain the first doubles victory of the afternoon.
• On Court 1 Mats Bredschneijder and Erwann Bouchet were tied early at two apiece. Multiple serves from Bredschneijder and Bouchet that the Spiders could not return gave the pair advantages at 4-2 and then again at 5-3 before the duo secured the doubles point for the Rams at 6-3.
• On Court 3, Leon Zaorski and Kostiantyn Mantach began down 1-2, but tied the match 2-2 before leading through some great play which saw them gain their first lead of the match at 3-2. Unfortunately for the pair, the match would conclude finishing 5-4 in favor of the Rams as VCU saw themselves claim the doubles point.

Singles

• Singles action opened on Court 4 where Gevorg Mnatsakanyan jumped out to a 3-0 lead over Richmond's Otto Sewell. Mnatsakanyan extended the advantage to 4-1 before closing the first set 6-1. Despite slower starts by the Rams on other courts, the result of this match was never in doubt, as Mnatsakanyan remained composed and in control throughout.
• On Court 3, Leon Zaorski fell behind early, trailing 0-4, before mounting a late push to close the gap to 3-4. Just as momentum began to swing, the rally was halted, as Zaorski came up short against Richmond's Charlie Burdell, 4-6. Zaorski dropped the following set, giving the Spiders their first point of the match.
• Next on Court 2, Erwann Bouchet found himself in an early hole, falling behind 0-4 as the Lyon native struggled to settle in. Despite the slow start, Bouchet responded with a surge of offensive pressure, winning six of the next eight games to force a 6-6 tiebreak. With momentum firmly on his side, Bouchet delivered when it mattered most, taking the tiebreak 7-2 with an ace to secure the first set in what was an hour-long battle. Bouchet carried that form into the second, building leads of 3-2 and 5-4 as he closed out the set 6-4, bringing the Rams just one point within victory.
• During that stretch, Nicolo Consonni was locked in an intense matchup on Court 1. The match opened with Consonni falling behind Richmond's Davis Wiley, trailing 0-2, then 2-5, before dropping the first set 2-6 as Wiley leaned on a steady diet of strong serves. A similar script unfolded early in the second set, with Consonni again falling behind 1-3. With the odds heavily in favor of Wiley, and Richmond on the brink of tying the match, Consonni responded. From down 1-3, he battled back, showing none of the struggles from earlier in the match, to take a 5-4 lead and force a tiebreak, where he put on a clinic, rolling to a 7-2 win to extend the match. By that point, both teams and their supporters gathered around Court 1 as the decisive third set began, with the winner likely to swing the match in their team's favor. Once again, Consonni faced an early deficit, falling behind 0-3 as Wiley continued to serve well. But similar to the first two sets, Consonni persisted relentlessly, fighting for every point and chasing down every ball to bring the score back to 4-4. At this point, momentum had swung fully in Consonni's favor as the match shifted to his terms. Soon after, Consonni closed the match on top, winning the final two points to secure the victory for the Rams and extend VCU's winning streak in the crosstown rivalry to 17 straight.
• On Court 5, Kostiantyn Mantach jumped out to an early 5-1 lead before closing the first set 6-2 to put the Rams in firm control. The second set proved more challenging, with the score locked at 2-2, 4-4, and 5-5 before Mantach dropped the set 5-7. In the deciding tiebreak, a familiar theme emerged, VCU simply had more left in the tank. Mantach led early and led throughout, closing out a 10-6 tiebreak victory to earn his first win of the season.
• Coming into the match off the back of a two match win streak, Patrik Petera made his first Court 5 appearance of the season. Petera dropped the opening set 2-6 but similar to much of this season, Petera responded with resilience in the second set. However, with the score deadlocked at 2-2, 4-4, 5-5, and again at 6-6, Petera was unable to continue his second-set magic, ultimately falling in the tiebreak, 4-7.

 Singles results
 1. Nicolo Consonni (VCU) def. Davis Wiley (RICH) 2-6, 7-6(2), 6-4
 2. Erwann Bouchet (VCU) def. Paxton Pritchard (RICH) 7-6(2), 6-4
 3. Charlie Burdell (RICH) def. Leon Zaorski (VCU) 6-4, 6-1
 4. Gevorg Mnatsakanyan (VCU) def. Otto Sewell (RICH) 6-1, 6-3
 5. Cole Brashear (RICH) def. Patrik Petera (VCU) 6-2, 7-6(4)
 6. Kostiantyn Mantach (VCU) def. Sam Rathmanner (RICH) 6-2, 5-7, [10-6]
 
Doubles results
 1. Mats Bredschneijder / Erwann Bouchet (VCU) def. Davis Wiley / Cole Brashear (RICH) 6-3
 2. Nicolo Consonni / Gevorg Mnatsakanyan (VCU) def. Sam Rathmanner / Paxton Pritchard (RICH) 6-3
 3. Leon Zaorski / Kostiantyn Mantach (VCU) vs. Charlie Burdell / Otto Sewell (RICH) 5-4 (Unfinished)
 
Order of Finish: Doubles: 2, 1 Singles: 4, 3, 2, 1, 6, 5
 
Up Next: VCU returns to action on Friday, Feb. 13, traveling to North Carolina to face Davidson at 5 p.m.