This weekend the No. 12 men's tennis team came to a bump in the road -- and so did its doubles teams.
Virginia only managed to win two of six doubles matches in its contests against No. 18 North Carolina and No. 14 Texas Christian University. In each collegiate tennis match there are three doubles contests and the team that wins the majority of them gets one point.
The lack of doubles points put the Cavaliers behind from the get-go in both matches, which may have been a fatal problem for them as they lost to both teams.
Despite the difficulties over the weekend, Virginia has had great success with its doubles teams overall this season, especially with the pair of sophomores Rylan Rizza and Nick Meythaler who play at the top spot for the Cavaliers and are ranked as the No. 14 doubles team in the country.
Rizza and Meythaler, who have been roommates since their first year, have had some major wins this season, including an 8-6 win over Indiana's top duo which helped the Cavaliers earn the doubles point that proved crucial in the 4-3 win. They also overtook their Georgia Tech and Wake Forest opponents, helping Virginia maintain a perfect ACC record up to this weekend.
"Rylan and Nick have a lot of confidence in each other which helps them gel," coach Brian Boland said. "They really complement each other."
Both Boland and Meythaler cited on-court chemistry as by far the most important success factor for a doubles team, but complementary technique is also a necessity.
"I hit more high percentage shots and Rylan puts more balls away," Meythaler said. "He has great hands at the net."
Boland cited similar areas of strength but also noted how the pair's technique needs to improve.
"They need to improve on serves and hit more corners," Boland said. "We need a little more consistency from them, for them to be more aggressive and move into the net."
Finding the perfect doubles line-up takes time. Throughout the fall and the beginning of this season, Boland and assistant coach Tony Bresky adjusted the line-up several times before setting the current teams.
While Rizza and Meythaler played together last year, they both tried playing with other teammates earlier this season. Rizza and No. 21 singles player Doug Stewart were paired with minimal success -- they went 0-4. Meythaler played with sophomore Darrin Cohen, going 6-3.
Cohen has found a more stable home at the No. 2 doubles spot with Stewart.
"Rarely have I seen a player improve as much as Darrin in one year's time," Boland said. "He and Doug have been our most consistent team in the last few months and have improved their net game immensely."
At the No. 3 spot is the team of sophomore Stephen Rozek and freshman Marko Miklo.
"They have been a very pleasant surprise," Boland said. "They may not be the most natural doubles players but they're difficult to play because they're unorthodox."
This weekend's losses for Virginia made the importance of the doubles point glaringly obvious to the young team. With the post-season rapidly approaching, the Cavaliers will need to focus on doubles in order to ensure that the end of their season is as positive as the rest has been. This weekend's losses may have slowed Virginia's climb up the rankings, but it could be just what the group of freshman and sophomores needs to emphasize a continuing need for improvement despite their success.
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