The Virginia women's tennis team (13-9, 7-6 ACC) has come a long way this season -- from modest beginnings and uncertainty to completing one of the Cavaliers' best regular seasons in a decade. In his inaugural season, coach Mark Guilbeau took the preseason-unranked Cavaliers to a finish as the No. 26 team in the nation.
En route to Guilbeau earning ACC Coach of the Year honors, the Cavaliers defeated two top-10 teams, Duke and Miami. Prior to this season, the team had never defeated a top-10 team in their 32-year history.
Two of the biggest contributing factors to this year's success can be credited to the team's synergy and the preparation the coaching staff has instilled in the players.
"Everyone on our team has been working together and we get along very well," junior Caroline Hammond said. "Each and every day our practice and matches are a whole lot better because of the chemistry and attitude of our team."
These good feelings and attitudes start with the coaching staff. This year's team has been infused with a confidence that has produced excellent results and high expectations.
"The coaches have helped us get a lot of confidence in our games," Hammond said. "We have a lot of faith in what they have to say. So, we're going to take it and use it and hopefully execute on the court."
The Cavaliers' regular season performance has been rewarded with an NCAA Tournament berth. The Cavaliers will most likely be a No. 2 seed in their region.
"We're really excited to be in the tournament," Guilbeau said. "This team needs to understand that they've done a really great job, but there's still another level of focus and ability that we have to try to find."
With a difficult ACC schedule under their belt, the Cavaliers know the level of play they need to maintain in order to have success against the rest of the nation's best.
"I don't think that enough credit can be given to what the conference has done," Guilbeau said. "We beat a couple of the best teams in the conference and it has helped us. It's helped our practice be a little more focused and the level of play we face has improved our abilities."
This year's season is a confluence of great players and coaching. All the pieces appear to be in place for the team to make a deep run in the tournament. The Cavaliers will be wary not to look past their first round matchup when they take the court against a to-be-announced third seed May 12 or 13.
"There's a lot of teams that could be three seeds that are going to be very good teams," Guilbeau said. "We're going to treat that first and foremost."
Regardless of what happens in the tournament, there is no denying that this year's team has been extremely accomplished and has set the bar high for teams to come.
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