This weekend bears much importance for the Virginia women's tennis team for many reasons, but for the Cavalier's lone senior, Lindsey Pereira, it will carry a little extra weight. This weekend marks the last chance Pereira will have to play in front of her home crowd at the Snyder Tennis Center.
"People have brought it up all semester, and I haven't really been ready to face it," Pereira said. "But it's about time to face it, and I think I'm ready."
Pereira said she is playing well and feels mentally, physically and emotionally fit, though the crowd and her excitement will play a role in the match as well.
The weekend's matches against No. 13 North Carolina (14-7, 5-3 ACC) Saturday and No. 9 Duke (14-3, 7-2 ACC) Sunday have much more than sentimental value for the No. 48 Cavaliers (9-10, 5-4 ACC); they also have postseason implications. Virginia is currently tied for sixth in the ACC and the Tar Heels sit directly above them in fifth place. Virginia's final position and its seed in the ACC Tournament depend heavily on the weekend's outcome. The Cavaliers have an opportunity to carry positive momentum into the ACC Tournament.
"I think lastly and most importantly ... is to keep getting better through the weekend, heading into the ACC Tournament as well," Virginia coach Mark Guilbeau said. "So kind of a three-step process: a match Saturday, a match Sunday and then making sure we are ready to play our best next week."
Virginia would definitely bolster its resume for the NCAA Tournament with a strong showing this weekend. The Cavaliers are on the tournament bubble, and a victory in either of these last two matches -- against a highly ranked, tournament-bound team -- could very well put them over the top. Guilbeau said he believes a win this weekend would clinch an NCAA Tournament bid for Virginia.
"Obviously, without talking about it a whole lot, we're probably on the bubble for the NCAA Tournament," Guilbeau said, "A win in either of these matches would more than lock that up
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