NEW YORK — The No. 14 Columbia men's tennis team rolled past Virginia Tech, 4-0, in the opening round of ITA Kick-Off Weekend at the Dick Savitt Tennis Center on Saturday afternoon.
 
With the victory, the Lions will play for a spot at next month's ITA National Team Indoor Championship tomorrow, facing off against Ivy League foe Dartmouth at 1 p.m. ET.
 
Columbia jumped ahead early with the singles point against the Hokies, but it wasn't without a fight. Columbia's tandem of Rian Pandole/Victor Pham picked up a quick 6-3 victory at No. 2 doubles, but both remaining courts would go down to the wire.
 
At No. 3 doubles, Columbia's Adam Ambrozy/Austen Huang took a 3-2 lead and did not trail for the remainder of the match. Leading 6-5, the Hokies were on the verge of tying things up with a 40-30 advantage, but a double fault would turn things in the Lions direction and ultimately give Columbia the doubles point.
 
After trailing 0-4 in the early goings, Jack Lin/William Matheson rallied all the way back to force a tiebreak at the top doubles spot. The Lions duo led 2-0 in the tiebreak before play was ceased.
 
With the doubles point behind them, the Lions made quick work to clinch the match.
 
Following a phenomenal fall season, Lin continued his hot streak on the top singles court. The 30th-ranked sophomore did not allow No. 40 Jason Kros to win a single game, stretching the Lions' lead to 2-0.
 
Pham put Columbia ahead by three at No. 2 singles, taking a 6-1, 6-1 triumph over Alex Ribeiro. It was Matheson who was able to clinch the team victory, earning a 6-4, 6-0 win on court four.
 
For the latest on the Columbia men's tennis, follow @ColumbiaMTennis on Twitter and on the web at GoColumbiaLions.com.