Despite returning from the National Team Indoor Championship with less than satisfactory results, the once top-ranked Virginia men's tennis team looks to bounce back tomorrow in a double-header.
The Cavaliers lost in the first round of last weekend's tournament to the Washington Huskies, 4-1. The Cavs' losing streak stretched to three matches the following day with a 4-2 loss to Arkansas. Virginia ended on a positive note with a 4-0 victory against Colorado.
"It was pretty disappointing," senior Rylan Rizza said on the team's performance. "We were expecting to go in there doing better than we did; it was kind of tough to take away only one winning match."
Last year, Virginia managed to make it to the finals of the tournament, only to lose 4-1 to Baylor.
While this year did not turn out to be quite as successful, some viewed the tournament as a beneficial experience.
"I think this team is going through a time in which they need to learn to deal with some adversity," said coach Brian Boland. "I think it's something that can turn into a positive for us in time if we continue to work really hard and try to improve."
The No. 16 Cavaliers currently hold a 7-5 record, and prepare to host Boston College at noon and No. 71 Old Dominion University at 6:00 p.m. today.
While the Eagles are currently 4-3 and unranked, the team is on a three-match winning streak, most recently defeating St. Joseph's in Philadelphia. However, BC's roster consists of six freshmen and two sophomores, an extremely young team. The match against the inexperienced Eagles will afford the veteran Virginia squad a chance to get back into its winning rhythm.
The Monarchs, on the other hand, may pose a greater threat.
In their first six games, ODU came away with six victories. The team then took a turn for the worse, posting a four-match losing streak.
The Cavaliers will now face the winning side of the Monarchs, who are on a two-match winning streak.
Last year, Virginia faced ODU in its season-opener and finished with a victorious score of 7-0.
If the team wants to repeat that result and avoid what happened at the tournament, the Cavaliers know there is still a lot of work to be done.
"We've been working extremely hard with a high level of intensity and conditioning, much more than I think we ever have in the past," said Boland on what the team has been doing to prepare for tomorrow. "I feel like there is a sense of urgency in the team but, of course, not a panic."
Clearly, this sentiment of urgency is due to the recent losses; but, the way the team has been able to deal with this unfamiliarity has only put them in a better position for the upcoming matches.
"We had a couple seasons where we didn't have to deal with early season losses [like we do now]," Boland said. "We had a situation last Saturday night that we've never dealt with before, and I think the team responded extremely well. I know the team will be ready to play tomorrow and they're looking forward to it."
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