After defeating two top 20 teams this weekend, the No. 3 Virginia men's tennis team will have little rest as it plays a doubleheader today against Old Dominion and Maryland.The Cavaliers look very strong after cruising past No. 9 Pepperdine 6-1 and No. 19 Boise State 7-0 this past weekend, but their endurance will again be tested today.
"I think our team continues to play well and improve with each match," Virginia coach Brian Boland said."I believe we're playing with a lot of confidence at the moment and we just need to keep taking one match at a time and continue to improve each and every day."
This morning, the Cavaliers (10-1) face Old Dominion (7-2).Although Old Dominion suffered two losses early in the season to No. 14 Duke and Wake Forest, they have just come off an upset of N.C. State. In addition, Old Dominion boasts highly ranked singles and doubles teams.No. 4 junior Somdev Devvarman will likely face No. 8 junior Harel Srugo, and junior Treat Huey will likely play senior Henrique Cancado.
"Even though these teams aren't highly ranked they're all really good, especially Old Dominion," Devvarman said."Their rankings really don't justify how good they are. The guys I'm playing are going to be good regardless because I'm going to be playing the number one players."
Following a tough match against Old Dominion, the team will play Maryland (5-0) in the second half of their day-night doubleheader which will start ACC play for Virginia.Although undefeated, Maryland has not yet been tested against teams in the top 30 in the nation.Traditionally, Maryland has not thrived in the ACC either, and last year only won one ACC match, against Boston College.The Cavaliers cannot expect an easy win, however, as Maryland is coming off a big upset of Virginia Tech.As of now, Maryland looks promising, and the team may prove a challenge for the Cavaliers.Virginia is the highest ranked team in the ACC conference followed by No. 10 FSU, but winning in-conference matches will be vital to staying on the top.After losing the ACC championship match last season, the Cavaliers feel confident and ready to prove themselves.
"It'll be exciting. We start off with Maryland and Boston College, so it's not the top of the ACC right there, but it's a good way for us to start off," Devarrman said.
One of the keys to victory for the Cavaliers will be the depth of the team.Devarrman and Huey have been playing strong of late, and both have won ACC Men's Tennis Player of the Week twice already this season. Their competition, however, will be against other strong ranked players, so Virginia may also need to count on wins coming from other players.Unlike most teams, Virginia has a third-ranked player, freshman Dominic Inglot, who has proven his ability this past weekend by defeating both opponents in only two sets.In addition, since junior Ted Angelinos is out with an ankle injury, senior Marko Miklo and sophomore Nick Meros have stepped up and contributed big wins to the team. Virginia hopes to finish the home matches today successfully as they will be on the road for the next six matches, and the pressure of remaining one of the top teams in the country will be bearing down on them.
"We've been really successful so far this year and I feel that they've definitely been gunning for us," Huey said."We're pretty much one of the few teams to beat in the country and I feel like every other team definitely wants to take us down."
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