The University of Virginia women's tennis team is scheduled to take on No. 19 Texas Christian University today at 2 p.m. in Charlottesville.
Originally scheduled to be outdoors at the Snyder Tennis Center, the match has been moved indoors to Boar's Head Sports Club due to weather conditions.
After starting the season 6-1, the Cavaliers are amidst a four-game losing streak and have not won a match since late February, when they topped Marshall 4-3. With six wins, the Cavaliers have already matched their win total from last season.
Since their last victory, the Cavaliers have fallen to highly ranked squads including Virginia Commonwealth University, William & Mary, Clemson and, most recently, Georgia Tech.
Ranked 15th in the country, Georgia Tech improved to 10-2 and remained undefeated in the ACC after their 4-3 victory over the Cavaliers.
Unfortunately for Virginia, the schedule is not getting any easier.
"TCU is a very good team," assistant coach Troy Porco said. "They have one of the country's top players in Nicole Leimbach. We expect a very tough match."
Leimbach enters the match No. 3 in the nation in singles.
But senior Lori Stern does not believe TCU possesses more talent than the Cavaliers can handle.
"They're ranked high," she said. "It'll be tough, but we're challenging higher schools -- nothing out of our league."
Over the past few weeks, the Cavaliers have only faced higher ranked opponents and they have proven to be a formidable challenge. In two of their last three matches, the Cavaliers fell to Georgia Tech and William & Mary by the narrowest margin -- 4-3.
"In terms of rankings, we were supposed to lose," Stern said. "Everyone's pleased as a team. We're waiting for our time to win one we're not supposed to."
Despite the losses, Porco is impressed with the team's composure. The losses have not had a detrimental affect on the mindset of the team.
"We're going to win," Porco said. "They've done a great job responding and coming back."
Looking toward TCU, Porco expects a strong effort from the team. Despite the losses, they have showed continued strength.
"We've got to play to our strengths and execute," Porco said. "We've been able to do that and that's why we've been in [matches], even though we came up short. We have to keep pushing forward and making little improvements."
The best mental advantage the Cavaliers hold when they take on TCU will be the underdog mentality. Stern emphasized the fact that the pressure is on TCU to hold up their record and play strongly.
"We need to focus, execute everything and have fun," Stern said. "There's no pressure."
With the forecast calling for inclement weather, the Cavaliers hope to find an advantage playing at Boar's Head. With TCU playing its home games in warm conditions, the indoor facilities may take them out of their comfort zone and give the Cavaliers a leg up.
Given that the team had a below-average season last year and has had to adjust to a new coaching staff, the team is extremely proud of the strides they have made.
"I think [the coaches] have been doing a great job," Stern said.
Porco echoed the same sentiments towards the team.
"We are really feeling that they're doing a great job. We'll keep getting better and better and we'll take some opportunities."
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