BLACKSBURG – A program-record five Hokies were named to the 2021 All-ACC Academic Men's Tennis Team on Tuesday. Mitch Harper and Alex Ribeiro earned the honor for the second time in their careers, while Ryan Fishback, Hugo Maia, and Matthis Ross received their first nods.
Graduate students Harper and Ribeiro wrapped up their careers at Tech this spring with impressive runs. Harper, who began the season ranked No. 38, earned second team All-ACC honors in an injury-riddled season. The Australian picked up two ranked wins on Court 1 this season, defeating No. 92 Garrett Johns (Duke) and No. 65 Benjamin Sigouin (UNC). Ribeiro, the 2021 ITA Atlantic Region Most Improved Senior, had one ranked win against No. 117 Carlos Kelaidis (Clemson). The Portugese player achieved a ranking as high as No. 41 at one point this spring.
Sophomore Matt Ross compiled strong performances with his fiery play on Court 2. Finishing the season ranked No. 115 nationally and No. 9 in the Atlantic region, Ross reached as high as No. 86 in national rankings throughout the spring. The second-year player from England also earned two top-50 wins in 2021: versus No. 41 Benjamin Sigouin (North Carolina) and No. 34 A Soriano Berrera (Miami).
Freshmen Fishback and Maia burst onto the scene for the Hokies this season, both earning 13 wins in singles. Fishback accumulated two ranked wins in his campaign: versus No. 64 Stefan Milicevic (Miami) and No. 83 Ryan Goetz (Virginia). He was also half of the NCAA Doubles qualifying duo with Jordan Chrysostom that finished ranked No. 31 nationally. Maia earned three ranked wins on the season: versus No. 100 Josh Peck (UNC), No. 123 Joshua Lapadat (Kentucky), and No. 101 Andrew Zhang (Duke). For his performance against Kentucky, Maia was named UTR National Player of the Week.