The Virginia men's tennis team returns to action Saturday afternoon as the top-ranked Cavaliers pay a visit to College Park to take on the No. 57 Terrapins.
Virginia (15-0) comes into the match after its first weekend off in two months.? Coach Brian Boland and his squad took advantage of the time the break afforded them.
"We wanted to give them a little time off to re-energize and have some time to refresh mentally and physically," Boland said. "They've done that, and we are extremely healthy. This past week, we've really had a chance to work on some things that we don't have a chance to when we are playing back-to-back matches. I think the guys are a little bit sharper, and I think it's really going to pay off."
It might be hard for Virginia to get much sharper after its most recent weekend outing. The Cavaliers defeated then-No. 5 Texas 5-2 before downing then-No. 9 Baylor 7-0, and the victories were only underscored by a dominating singles performance from the Cavaliers. Virginia went 11-1 in the singles matches with only one of its victories coming in three sets.
Oddly enough, it was senior captain Somdev Devvarman who took three sets to dispose of Baylor sophomore Denes Lukacs. Devvarman had to bounce back after being down a break early in the final set. It was only the fifth time all season that it took the reigning national champion three sets to dispose of an opponent.
Virginia was without junior Dominic Inglot ?during singles play against Baylor, forcing the Cavaliers to shake up their lineup a second time after his absence against Old Dominion and Boston College last weekend, The changes put the Cavaliers' depth to the test, and Virginia once again stepped up and delivered.
"We are the deepest team in the country by far," Devvarman said. "The depth definitely helps us because we are confident that if one guy is having a tough week in practice that he can get back on the training court and another guy can step up. We are confident when any one of the eight guys steps on the court at any of the positions, so that definitely gives us an edge."
Virginia will get a test Saturday afternoon, as the Terrapins have won five matches in a row, including their upset of No. 43 Louisville.
"Maryland is an excellent team," Boland said. "We're definitely going to be challenged in each and every one of our ACC matches. We have great respect for the ACC and we're excited to play."
The match this weekend will be played outdoors barring any rain, the first time Virginia has played a match outside all semester.
"The weather has been great and we have had a chance to practice outside for some time," Boland said. "I think the guys will be ready to go. I always think that caters to us."
The Cavaliers will need all the cards in their favor; the Terrapins are undefeated on the season at home, but Virginia knows it will be a marked team the rest of the season, no matter where a particular match is held.
"Home or away, we know that we are going to come out 100 percent prepared," Devvarman said. "Everybody is going to be gunning for us regardless of whether we are playing home or away. So we approach every match the same way"
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