CHAMPIONSHIP BOUND! Spiders Stun No. 1 VCU in A-10 Semifinal, Earn First Win over Rams Since 1990

Friday, April 24

Orlando, Fla.

10 a.m.

University of Richmond

No. 1 VCU

CHAMPIONSHIP BOUND! Spiders Stun No. 1 VCU in A-10 Semifinal, Earn First Win over Rams Since 1990

04/24/2026 | Men's Tennis

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Cole Brashear clinches on court No. 6 as Spiders advance to first A-10 Championship final since 2021

ORLANDO, Fla. – The University of Richmond men's tennis team delivered a historic performance Friday morning, knocking off No. 1 seed VCU 4-3 in the Atlantic 10 Championship semifinal at the USTA National Campus. With the win, the No. 5 seeded Spiders improve to 16-8 on the spring season and advance to the A-10 Championship final for the first time since 2021.

Richmond's victory marked its first over VCU since Feb. 28, 1990, snapping a 37-match losing streak against the Rams. The Spiders also halted VCU's run of eight-straight Atlantic 10 titles and picked up their first neutral site win over the Rams in program history, moving to 1-5.

How It Happened
Richmond opened the match with a strong showing in doubles play, securing the opening point with wins on courts three and one. Grant Cohen and Charlie Burdell got the Spiders on the board on court three with a 6-3 victory, before Davis Wiley and Cole Brashear followed with a 6-2 win on court one to clinch the doubles point.

VCU responded in singles, taking early momentum with wins on courts four and two to grab a 2-1 lead. Dylan Atkinson fell 6-3, 6-2 at No. 4, followed by a 6-1, 6-3 setback for Charlie Burdell at No. 2.

The Spiders answered in a big way at the top of the lineup, as Davis Wiley evened the match at 2-2 with a convincing 6-3, 6-3 victory on court one. Paxton Pritchard then gave Richmond its second lead of the afternoon, earning a 6-4, 6-4 win at No. 3 to put the Spiders ahead 3-2.

VCU forced a decisive final match with a win on court five, but Richmond delivered under pressure. Cole Brashear clinched the match on court six, battling to a 6-2, 3-6, 6-3 victory to secure the 4-3 upset and send the Spiders to the championship match.

Tennis Match Results
No. 5 Richmond vs No. 1 VCU
4/24/2026 at Orlando, Fla.
(USTA National Campus)

No. 5 Richmond 4, No. 1 VCU 3

Doubles competition

Davis Wiley / Cole Brashear (Richmond) def. Patrik Petera / Gevorg Mnatsakanyan (VCU) 6-2
Alfred Almasi / Nicolo Consonni (VCU) vs. Paxton Pritchard / Sam Rathmanner (Richmond) 4-3, unfinished
Grant Cohen / Charlie Burdell (Richmond) def. Leon Zaorski / Mats Bredschneijder (VCU) 6-3

Singles competition

Davis Wiley (Richmond) def. Gevorg Mnatsakanyan (VCU) 6-3, 6-3
Mats Bredschneijder (VCU) def. Charlie Burdell (Richmond) 6-1, 6-3
Paxton Pritchard (Richmond) def. Nicolo Consonni (VCU) 6-4, 6-4
Alfred Almasi (VCU) def. Dylan Atkinson (Richmond) 6-3, 6-2
Leon Zaorski (VCU) def. Otto Sewell (Richmond) 7-6 (2), 6-1
Cole Brashear (Richmond) def. Patrik Petera (VCU) 6-2, 3-6, 6-3

Match Notes
No. 5 Richmond 16-8
No. 1 VCU 9-14
Richmond's win marked its first over VCU since Feb. 28, 1990, snapping a 37-match losing streak
The Spiders improved to 4-33 all-time against the Rams and earned their first neutral site win in the series
Richmond snapped VCU's streak of eight consecutive A-10 championships
The Spiders advanced to their first A-10 Championship match since 2021
Order of finish: Doubles (3, 1); Singles (4, 2, 1, 3, 5, 6)

Updated Spring Records
Singles
Davis Wiley 16-5
Charlie Burdell 13-6
Paxton Pritchard 8-8
Sam Rathmanner 6-5
Otto Sewell 10-8
Cole Brashear 11-3
Nathan Germino 6-3
Grant Cohen 4-1
Drew Holland 2-0
Dylan Atkinson 5-3

Doubles
Brashear/Wiley 17-4
Rathmanner/Pritchard 9-9
Sewell/Burdell 5-4
Burdell/Cohen 6-1
Burdell/Germino 1-0
Holland/Rathmanner 1-0
Cohen/Germino 1-0

Up Next
Richmond will face No. 3 seed Dayton in the Atlantic 10 Championship final Saturday, April 25 at 10 a.m. at the USTA National Campus.

Gallery: (4-24-2026) Men's Tennis SF Match vs VCU