Unlike most students, the athletes on the Virginia men's and women's tennis teams will be hard at work during their Spring Break. Both teams will play tough matches with three ranked opponents.
The No. 23 Cavalier men (10-1, 0-0 ACC) will begin by hosting No. 17 Texas on Sunday at the Snyder Tennis Center. For Virginia, the Longhorns will be another tough early season test. The Cavaliers have already gone on the road to face No. 1 Illinois. This was quite a stiff test against a Fighting Illini team that has won 44 consecutive matches and 83 of their last 84.
"We just played Illinois, which is a huge opportunity," sophomore Nick Meythaler said. "Texas is, in our minds, just as big. It is school with a great tradition in their tennis program. So, they are going to be tough."
Things will not get much easier for Virginia after the match with Texas. On Tuesday, the Cavaliers will host ACC foe and No. 42 Florida State, a team that upset Virginia last season. Then, the Cavaliers will travel to Atlanta March 14 to play a match against another ranked opponent and another ACC rival, No. 51 Georgia Tech.
"It is going to be a real challenge for us to play two strong ACC teams," men's coach Brian Boland said. "Anytime you play an ACC match, it is going to be tough."
Boland, however, said he believes his team is in a great position as they move from playing at the indoor courts of the Boar's Head Inn to the outdoor courts of Snyder.
"The difference between this year and last year that we are much more mature," Boland said. "The guys are able to pace themselves well and put things in perspective."
On the other side of the net, the No. 41 Virginia women's tennis team (9-2, 0-0) will face their own set of Spring Break challenges. Like the men, the Cavalier women will take on three ranked opponents.
Virginia will get things underway in Dallas on Tuesday with a match against No. 53 Southern Methodist University. After the match against the Mustangs, the Cavaliers will have only a short time to recover. The next day, Virginia will head over to Fort Worth to take on No. 44 Texas Christian University.
Cavalier women's coach Phil Rogers emphasized the importance of having the opportunity to move into the outdoor portion of the season.
"Our games are better suited for the outside," Rogers said. "The courts are a little bit slower than indoor courts. And we have a team that wants to hang in points, fight hard, and get a lot of balls back."
Once Virginia returns from Texas, the team will have a few days to recover before taking on ACC rival and No. 54 Florida State at the Snyder Tennis Center March 14.
"Every team in the ACC is tough," senior Laura James said. "We beat [Florida State] 4-3 last year, so they are going to be gunning for us."
While both the men and women will be taking different paths during the upcoming week, the challenge of facing three ranked opponents will test the up-and-coming Cavaliers. For a program on the rise, a week like this can help cement their status among the sports' elite.
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