After a dramatic five and a half hour battle in the bubble at the Boar's Head Sports Club, Virginia claimed a much-deserved victory over ACC rival Maryland, 4-3.
Last night's win snapped a four-game losing streak and brings the No. 32 ranked Cavaliers to 12-8 (2-1 ACC) heading into this weekend's conference matches against Wake Forest and NC State.
Virginia clinched the crucial doubles point 3-2, with a solid shut-out set at No. 2 by the unstoppable freshmen Kristen James and Lori Stern -- 8-0 -- and a hard-fought win at No. 1 by seniors Henriette Williams and Jen Tuchband. Williams and Tuchband opened the match down, tied twice at 6-30, and pulled it out to close at 9-7.
"When I saw that we needed our point, that was so much incentive," Tuchband said. "Because we haven't won a doubles match in so long, we were really pumped up and played well."
The doubles point proved to be the decisive one that tossed the match to Virginia, since the singles matches were split 3-3.
"The seniors took care of the ball," coach Phil Rogers said. "In a close match like that it's usually the team that goes after it a little bit more aggressively, and we were that team today. I'm very proud of those seniors for stepping up and taking that match from Maryland."
All six singles matches were extremely fierce, characterized by strong serves, long rallies and killer shots from the net.
On the No. 1 court, No. 88 Williams faced off against Maryland's No. 85 Ramona But, and while Williams was unable to come away with a win, she demonstrated her play to be exceptionally aggressive and high-energy against a tough opponent.
Rogers noted that No. 86 Tuchband played "a little bit looser and with a little bit more abandon" than in recent matches, which put her at an advantage over the Maryland's No. 2.
"I knew her shots and have been working on how to play against that kind of ball, so everything worked and I knew I could beat her," Tuchband said.
After a stellar doubles match, James, at No. 3, was unable post a win over her singles opponent, despite putting fortha huge effort.
Stern, at No. 4, controlled her match in straight sets, 6-0, 6-3.
"It was possibly her best singles match of the year, especially in how she responded when her opponent started coming back," assistant coach Constantine Ananiadis said. "Her tennis was great and her mental focus was good."
Sophomore Dora Bechliwanis at No. 5 fell only after a very close second set. Playing under the pressure of a needed win from her court or freshman Lauren Bruch's.
The match that clinched the evening for the Cavaliers came from Bruch at No. 6. "She's very talented, and to her credit played better and better as the match went on, that by the time it got towards the end of the match, she was so hungry for the ball," Rogers said.
When it came down to the final two matches at Nos. 5 and 6, the rest of the team's cheering and support provided the additional adrenaline and momentum pull the points in Virginia's direction.
"I am really happy with how I played, I was hitting through the ball well, dictating the point the way I wanted to, and it was nice to have a solid match," Bruch said.
The Cavalier victory over the Terrapins rides on the heels of two difficult losses at North Carolina and Duke last weekend, but serves as a stepping stone to the anticipated rigor of the ACC matches this weekend.
"We're expecting them to be tough, because every single ACC school, including Maryland, is tough," Tuchband said. "I think we're ready for them. We'll just have to go in there and take every point."
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