Coming off one of the biggest wins in the history of the women's tennis program, the Cavaliers are set to go up against the Richmond Spiders in a midseason non-conference matchup today at the Snyder Tennis Center at 2 p.m.
Virginia coach Phil Rogers picked up his first win against the Seminoles in his 19 years with the Cavaliers. The win put Virginia at 9-3 on the season, 1-0 in conference, and on an emotional high going into the Richmond match.
"We are definitely excited and on a high after the Florida state matchup," Virginia assistant coach Constantine Ananiadis said. "This was Phil's first win against the likes of Florida State. We have a lot of confidence going into the matchup against Richmond."
The Cavaliers won three of their last four matches going into the battle against an in-state foe, which now resides in the Atlantic 10 conference, after their switch from the Colonial Athletic Conference a year ago.
The Spiders are unranked and 7-5 for the year, but have won five straight matches, including wins over William & Mary and Davidson. They also boast a perfect 2-0 in-conference this season.
"They are a really good team, even if they are not ranked," Ananiadis said. "We will not go in taking them for granted. We have to come out with our best games."
Virginia, which was ranked No. 52 in the most recent International Tennis Association rankings, includes three players who appear in the ITA rankings including junior Jennifer Tuchband (No. 51), senior Amy O'Donnell (No. 122) and freshman Marta Bechliwanis (No. 136).
The four lower seeds came up big for Virginia against Florida State, and will be counted upon for big matches against Richmond. O'Donnell, Bechliwanis and her twin sister Dora, and Laura James all picked up wins in the match over the Seminoles after the top two seeds Henriette Williams and Tuchband lost the first two matches of the day.
"It was very exciting," O'Donnell said. "It was fun getting together and rooting for Laura to pull it out in the end."
But pitfalls lie ahead after a big win because there is always a chance for disappointment after the big upset. O'Donnell, however, said there would be no letdown for this team.
"I go out and act like it is any other matchup," she said. "I know our team plays hard in every match. These are exciting times and we all want to do our best."
The lineup should look the same for the Cavaliers as Williams, Tuchband, O'Donnell, the Bechliwanis sisters and James round out the top six seeds. In doubles, Williams and Tuchband, the Bechliwaniss, and O'Donnell and Kim make the doubles pairs.
Today is Virginia's next to last out of conference matchup - they face Virginia Commonwealth this weekend before facing off against ACC competition for the rest of the season.
The Cavaliers have exceeded expectations so far this season, and they look to continue their great run in a tough matchup today.
"We are playing very well," Ananiadis said. "But we can't stop playing hard. Richmond is a good team and they will give us a tough test"
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