June 2, 2006

CHARLOTTESVILLE - Three members of the Virginia men's tennis team received All-American honors as the Intercollegiate Tennis Association announced this year's All-Americans on Friday. Somdev Devvarman (Chennai, India) earned All-American status in singles, while Rylan Rizza (Rancho Palos Verdes, Calif.) and Nick Meythaler (Owensboro, Ky.) were All-Americans in doubles.

The three selections are the most the Cavaliers have ever had in one season. Devvarman, Meythaler and Rizza all earned All-American status for the first time in their career, doubling the number of Cavaliers in history to be All-Americans from three to six. Brian Vahaly earned singles All-American status in 1999, 2000, and 2001, and doubles All-American status in 2001. Huntley Montgomery was a doubles All-American in 2001, while Doug Stewart was a singles All-American in 2004 and 2005.

Devvarman earned All-American status after a sophomore season in which he posted a 31-13 singles record. Last week, he reached the final of the 2006 NCAA Singles Championship and ended the season ranked No. 8 nationally in the final ITA rankings released Friday. Devvarman becomes just the second Cavalier in history to finish the season ranked in the top 10, joining Vahaly who finished both the 2000 and 2001 seasons ranked No. 5 nationally.

Rizza and Meythaler become the second Cavalier doubles team to earn All-American status after compiling a 16-5 record this season. They participated in the NCAA Doubles Championship, reaching the second round, and finished the year ranked No. 9 nationally. They become the second Cavalier duo to finish the year ranked in the top ten, joining Vahaly and Montgomery, who ended 2001 as the nation's top ranked team.

In the final ITA rankings of the year, the Cavaliers were No. 8, marking the third consecutive year they finished in the top ten. Joining Devvarman in the final singles rankings are Rizza (No. 50), Treat Huey (No. 67) and Doug Stewart (No. 85). In addition to Rizza and Meythaler, Rizza and Darrin Cohen (No. 23) also were ranked in the final ITA Doubles Rankings.