Few things ease the pain of a miserable winter and another disappointing men's basketball season better than a national championship in the spring.
Two years ago, it was the Virginia men's lacrosse team that tore through the NCAA tournament and finished atop the rankings. Last spring it was women's lacrosse that brought an NCAA title back to Grounds. And while both lacrosse teams and the baseball team seem capable of greatness this time around, it might be an unexpected group of Cavalier student-athletes that finishes the season No. 1 in May.
After a dominant performance at the National Team Indoor Championships last week in Chicago, the Virginia men's tennis team has climbed to No. 2 in the latest Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) team rankings, its highest ranking ever. Virginia entered the tournament ranked No. 9 but disposed of No. 7 Stanford, No. 2 UCLA and No. 6 Mississippi before falling to No. 1 Baylor in the finals.
Head coach Brian Boland said he was pleased with this team's performance but, as usual, stressed that there was plenty of work still to be done.
"[The No. 2 ranking] is a nice reward, but it's not something that we spend any time thinking about," Boland said. "It's too early in the season, and we still need to get better and work on improving. At the end of the year we want to be No. 1."
Virginia will continue its quest for the top ranking this weekend when it takes on No. 63 Virginia Tech today at 6:30 p.m. at the Boars Head Sports Club and No. 24 Notre Dame on Sunday at the Country Club of Virginia in Richmond at 1 p.m.
"Tech is always competitive as our in-state rival," Boland said. "They have a great deal of depth. And Notre Dame is going to be another good test for us."
The Cavaliers will be led into competition by five players ranked in singles by the ITA, the highest number in school history. While junior Doug Stewart tops the group with a No. 7 ranking, it is his strong supporting cast that makes the Cavaliers such a potent threat. Freshman Somdev Devvarman currently sits at No. 13 in the rankings, his highest ranking ever, and junior Darrin "the Laser" Cohen, in his first career appearance in the rankings, is No. 36. Junior Rylan Rizza is No. 38 for the Cavaliers and sophomore Marko Milko is No. 86.
Cohen, who was named ACC Player of the Week for his efforts in Chicago and picked up his nickname because of how flat and precise he hits the ball, echoed Boland's emphasis on appreciating the historic No. 2 ranking while at the same time remaining hungry.
"It's surreal now, but it's sweet," Cohen said. "We're taking it with a grain of salt. Our goal all along has been to win the national title."
Stewart, the team leader and No. 1 singles player, agreed with his doubles partner. Stewart's quiet confidence is a big reason why the Cavaliers and their fans have come to believe that Virginia might just have a chance to be the last team standing in College Station, Texas at the NCAA Championships in May.
"Ever since I got to college, I knew that I was capable of competing with the top guys," Stewart said. "And I was pretty sure when I got here that we would eventually be at the top of the rankings."
By beating the Irish and the Hokies this weekend, Stewart and the Cavaliers can take another crucial step towards reaching that goal.
Read More
No. 6 women’s squash falls to No. 5 Stanford in first match of the new year
By Peter Kratz | 13 hours agoThe Cavaliers fall to 0-1 in conference play after their first clash with the Cardinal.
Katie Grimes posts historic debut as women’s swimming and diving annihilates Virginia Tech
By Xander Tilock | 2 days agoGrimes broke out as a new superstar for Coach Todd DeSorbo's squad.
Women’s basketball displays stingy defense, but falls short versus No. 14 Duke
By Xander Tilock | 2 days agoThe Cavaliers nearly conquered a ranked rival but could not generate consistent offense.
