The Virginia men's tennis team will take the courts at Snyder Tennis Center for its last home matches of the regular season this weekend as it hosts No. 49 North Carolina State today at 4 p.m. and No. 30 Wake Forest Sunday at 1 p.m.
The top-ranked Cavaliers (23-0, 9-0 ACC) extended their school-record winning streak last weekend with a pair of 5-2 victories at North Carolina and Duke. There is no reason to suspect a letdown is in store this weekend, which marks the end of an era for seniors Somdev Devvarman, Treat Huey, Teddy Angelinos and Andrew Downing.
"I know that the team is very much looking forward to these matches," coach Brian Boland said. "They are the last regular-season matches for our four seniors, so it should be exciting on one hand, but kind of sad to see these guys play their last regular-season matches at home."
This group has helped the Cavaliers compile an 89-10 record during the past four years and has had a big hand in making the program into a national power.
"They are arguably the best senior class that we've ever had in terms of the impact they have had on our program," Boland said. "What they have been able to accomplish in the last four years is remarkable and they deserve a lot of credit for Virginia tennis continuing to be one of the best programs in the country."
Devvarman continues to set the tone with his dominant play at the No. 1 singles position. Last weekend, he extended his winning streak to 25 consecutive matches and he has won 49 of his last 50 matches dating back to last season.
"I just feel like I learn a lot from my losses," Devvarman said. "I do as much as I can not to make the same mistakes. I guess the last few months I have been practicing really well and getting better. I just approach each match one at a time. If I keep playing well, good things will happen."
Going into last weekend's matches, Virginia still had some unanswered questions with its doubles play, particularly at the No. 3 position; however, Angelinos and sophomore Lee Singer seemed to have provided Boland with the solution for which he was looking. The No. 45 tandem registered two 8-5 victories, improving to 11-0 at the third position on the year.
"They just get better with each day of practice," Boland said. "I am really pleased with their progress. They have good chemistry together and understand where one another is going to move before the ball is even hit."
The Cavaliers got a bit of a surprise last weekend, though, when the top-ranked pair Devvarman and Huey were upset at Duke. They will have a chance to redeem themselves this weekend against No. 9 senior Nick Cavaday and junior Jay Weinacker of N.C. State and No. 11 junior Cory Parr and sophomore Steven Forman of Wake Forest.
"I feel like losses are going to happen, especially in doubles," Devvarman said. "We didn't play great last week but we are definitely looking to come back strong."
The Cavaliers expect to get a boost this weekend from their fans. Virginia currently ranks first in the Intercollegiate Tennis Association Attendance Challenge; a total of 5,424 fans attended the first 10 home matches.
"The fan base has been awesome," Devvarman said. "We are hoping to get quite a few people out for Friday and Sunday for the last two regular-season matches"
Read More
Virginia annihilated 41-14 in a must-win contest versus North Carolina
By Peter Kriebel | 17 hours agoJust about everything that could have gone wrong for Virginia football went wrong.
No. 24 women’s soccer not to be denied in late win over Clemson
By Sam Chun | 21 hours agoThe Cavaliers topped Clemson 1-0 in front of a packed out Klöckner Stadium.
Men’s soccer, totally discombobulated, capitulates early to No. 5 Pittsburgh
By Michael Liebermann | 23 hours agoPittsburgh set a program record for the quickest cluster of three goals.
