BLACKSBURG, Va. – Bernardo Munk Mesa clinched for the second straight match as the 14th-ranked California men's tennis team thrashed No. 63 Virginia Tech 7-0 on Sunday at the Burrows-Burleson Tennis Center. The freshman edged Victor Kimpel 7-6(4), 7-6(7) to secure Cal's sixth consecutive victory.
 
The Golden Bears improved to 13-2 (6-2 ACC), while the Hokies fell to 9-10 (1-7).
 
Since Cal opened ACC play 0-2 after playing then-No. 10 NC State and top-ranked Wake Forest, the Bears have won six straight conference matches and risen from No. 22 in the ITA poll to its highest ranking of the season at No. 14.
 
How much have the Bears grown since those inaugural ACC matches?
 
"A lot," said Kris Kwinta, Cal's Peter Wright Director of Men's Tennis. "We started at a pretty high note playing against NC State and Wake Forest. Maybe that was a little too much for us to handle at the time. But we regrouped and had a little shake up. It was a good moment for the team to find ways to improve."
 
The Bears and Hokies' battle for the doubles point was competitive. First, Cal's duo of Derrick Chen and Theo Dean bested 65th-ranked Matt Harper and Alberto Orso 6-4 on court one. Then, with Bears Carl Emil Overbeck and Timofey Stepanov trailing the Hokies' Scott Sculley and Maxime St. Hilaire 5-4 on court two, Cal's Mikey Wright and Fryderyk Lechno-Wasiutynski clinched the doubles point on court three when they topped Kimpel and Eyal Shumilov 6-4.
 
Dean, ranked 37th in singles, followed with a 6-4, 6-4 win over Ilyas Fahim to give Cal a 2-0 advantage and Lechno-Wasiutynski gave the Bears a 3-0 lead when he beat Orso 6-1, 6-4. Munk Mesa won his close match over Kimpel to earn the official win for the Bears, who led 4-0. Wins from Chen, ninth-ranked Overbeck and Timofey Stepanov completed Cal's dominant 7-0 win.
 
"It was a good collegiate match," Kwinta said. "Virginia Tech wasn't going out without a fight. They came back on Carlo's court, on Dezza's court. But it was good to see our guys stay calm, not overreact and then deliver."
 
Cal next plays at No. 59 Old Dominion on Wednesday and at Boston College on Friday.

No. 14 California (13-2, 6-2 ACC) def. No. 63 Virginia Tech (9-10, 1-7 ACC), 7-0
March 23, 2025, in Blacksburg, Va.
Burrows-Burleson Tennis Center
 
Doubles
1. Theo Dean/Derrick Chen (Cal) def. #65 Matt Harper/Alberto Orso (VT), 6-4
2. Scott Sculley/Maxime St. Hilaire (VT) vs. Carl Emil Overbeck/Timofey Stepanov (Cal), 5-4 Unfinished
3. Mikey Wright/Fryderyk Lechno-Wasiutynski (Cal) def. Victor Kimpel/Eyal Shumilov (VT) 6-4*
 
Order of Finish – 1, 3*
^Clinched the doubles point for Cal
 
Singles
1. No. 9 Carl Emil Overbeck (Cal) def. Maxime St. Hilaire (VT), 6-4, 6-7(7), 6-3
2. No. 37 Theo Dean (Cal) def. Ilyas Fahim (VT), 6-4, 6-4
3. Timofey Stepanov (Cal) def. Patrik Jurina (VT), 6-7(7), 7-5, 6-0
4. Derrick Chen (Cal) def. Scott Sculley (VT), 4-6, 6-2, 6-4
5. Fryderyk Lechno-Wasiutynski (Cal) def. Alberto Orso (VT), 6-1, 6-4
6. Bernardo Munk Mesa (Cal) def. Victor Kimpel (VT), 7-6(4), 7-6(7)^
 
Order of Finish – 2, 5, 6^, 4, 1, 3
^Clinched the overall win for Cal