Altamirano, Virginia advance to NCAA quarters

Collin Altamirano won the clinching
match in Virginia's win over Colum-
bia. 2014 photo by Paul Bauman

   Northern Californians Collin Altamirano and Mackenzie McDonald scored big singles wins on Thursday at the NCAA Team Championships in Waco, Texas.
   But only Altamirano's Virginia Cavaliers advanced to Saturday's quarterfinals.
   Altamirano, a freshman from Sacramento, won the clinching match in third-ranked Virginia's 4-0 victory over No. 17 Columbia.
   The third-ranked McDonald, a sophomore from Piedmont, toppled No. 1 Axel Alvarez of Oklahoma 6-4, 6-4. However, 16th-ranked UCLA lost to the No. 1 Sooners 4-3 after trailing 3-0.
   The 77th-ranked Altamirano defeated Ashok Narayana 7-6 (0), 6-0 at the No. 3 position, saving two set points with Narayana serving at 5-3. Altamirano also won at No. 3 doubles with J.C. Aragone.
   Virginia (26-3), the 2013 national champion, will meet No. 5 Texas A&M (24-4) in the quarters. The Aggies edged No. 11 Ohio State 4-3.
   Meanwhile, the No. 3 Cal women (22-3) will play No. 14 Stanford (17-5) in the Round of 16 for the second straight year today at 10 a.m. PDT in Waco. The Cardinal won 4-3 last May in Atlanta, but the Bears swept this year's regular-season series.