Rebuilding. It's a term that no coach likes to use. Unless, of course, you are new Virginia men's tennis coach Brian Boland, seeking to mold Virginia into one of the country's best programs.
Boland brings a renewed sense of enthusiasm to a team that has lost four of its top six players since last season. While expectations are not high, Boland believes this particular set of Cavalier players have a chance to turn some heads before the season ends.
"That's one of the great things about this team," Boland said. "Our guys have a lot of chemistry. The guys have sacrificed a lot this past fall to be ready for the upcoming season. We are going to play as hard as we can this season."
There is no question Virginia will find a strong, "intense" leader in Boland. He is so intense, in fact, that when his wife gave birth a week ago, he was back out on the courts coaching his team the very same day.
Boland, however, was quick to point out that his wife fully supported his aggressive means of coaching.
"He is one of the most intense people I know," junior player Tim Snead said. "He was out there at practice the day his child was born. It was amazing. It really showed us how dedicated he is, and how he wants to bring a national championship to Virginia."
Boland, who came to Virginia from Indiana State after compiling a .724 winning percentage over five seasons, will have a plethora of young talent to work with this season.
Virginia will be led by a tri-captain set consisting of seniors Jason Romesburg, Jonathan Chou and junior Michael Duquette. All three hope to play a positive role in a season that could prove bumpy.
"We want to try and be as vocal as possible for the young guys this year," Duquette said. "We know it will be difficult at times, but we want to keep the young guys encouraged, because things will be terrific very soon after our guys get some experience."
With the loss of four key players, Virginia will look for Duqette to step up as the number one seed, a big difference in the level of competition he experienced as a fourth-seed last season. Duquette won six matches in the fall and 16 last spring, which he said makes him confident he can prosper in his new spot.
"I will be taking on some of the best players in the country," he said. "I want to take advantage of taking on a challenge like this and help this team make the most of this season."
Following Duquette will be Steve Nolan, one of three players to win six matches in the fall season. Nolan, who is one of four Virginia freshmen on scholarship, hails from Aurora, Colo., and was a four-time member of the All-State team. Duquette and Nolan will be doubles partners.
Nolan "is a guy who worked extremely hard over the fall season," Boland said. "He is a freshman, but I feel he will contribute nicely this season."
The other two members of the captain trio, Romesburg and Chou, will form another doubles combination. Both players will add valuable experience as seniors and will aim to help the freshmen adjust to big-time college tennis. Both men had good fall seasons, with Romesberg going 7-4 and Chou finishing 4-2.
"We are on the up-and-up," Romesberg said. "We aren't going to set goals this season, but rather go out and play each match as hard as possible. We are going to fight for every match."
Patrick Guarnieri, Greg Alpert and Jay Curtis finish up the opening day players, with Guarnieri and Curtis teaming up for doubles and Alpert and Guarnieri playing singles. Curtis finished with the fall season's best record, 6-1, while Alpert and Guarnieri went 7-3 and 5-5, respectively. Both and are expected to help out the Cavaliers.
"These guys can come up big for us this season," Boland said. "They played very well in the fall and I believe that they can do some good things for us this season."
Though young players fill the squad, team members remain optimistic. Many claimed to be a team that will improve rapidly and win a few meets along the way, meanwhile creating a sense of family within the tennis community.
"We have one of the best recruiting classes in the country next year, so we are definitely rebuilding for the future," Boland said. "But we are going to compete, and give it our all, and there is no doubt about that"
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