By Ryan Franklin Cavalier Daily Associate Editor Just like every other season, the Virginia women's tennis team faces a rigorous schedule this upcoming season against the powerhouse that is the ACC.
The difference this season is that the women will be competing with a very young team composed largely of freshman players as well as one transfer. A sole senior will take a leadership role for the season. The normal challenges the team faces will be augmented by the ability of a young team to acclimate to the pressures of a college sport.
Within the ACC, notwithstanding the non-conference matches, there are seven teams ranked among the top 20 in the country. Four of these teams rank within the top 10. Out of conference, the team will also play traditionally strong teams in Richmond, Tennessee and Purdue.
"One of the important parts of being a good program is putting together a good schedule [and] having strong teams to play against," Virginia coach Mark Guilbeau said. "I think that's something we definitely have the opportunity to do and will do this year."
New NCAA rules added to the stress of the season. The team was prohibited from practicing before and during exams, creating a large gap in the practice schedule. It remained the responsibility of each girl to keep up with her own training regimen.
Though there was no supervision by the coaches, it was obvious when the team returned to practice that players had remained focused over break. Each player knew what needed to be stressed and worked on that rigorously.
"It was clear to me and [assistant coach] Troy Porco that when they came back, they had kept their minds on it," Guilbeau said. "Their focus was good and you can see that they were really determined and ready to get up there and play right away. It was nice to be able to accelerate right into practice and not have to have too much of a building-up process."
It is highly unusual for a player's physical fitness and strength to actually improve over a break from practice, but many players were able to achieve that. Weak points in play saw significant improvement by the time the team returned to practice.
"I think everyone is working really hard," freshman Kristin McVitty said. "Our team has improved so much since the fall. We look forward to good things to come."
The Virginia Invitational this past weekend at the Boyd Tinsley Courts allowed for coaches to note improvements that need to be made as well as significant strengths that must be maintained.
Singles matches were very strong, with McVitty, freshman Jennifer Stevens, junior Lindsey Pereira and freshman Jessica Preeg all recording wins.
It became obvious over the weekend that doubles matches will be a focal point in practice for an otherwise strong team. In the upcoming weeks, the coaches will look to possibly switch partners around to find the best combinations.
After this week of practice, the Cavaliers return to play Friday, Jan. 26 against a strong Richmond team, promising a challenging match.
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