Number one in the nation — a title every sports team aspires to claim.
After winning the National Indoor Championships last weekend, the Virginia men’s tennis team has reassumed the coveted position and is well on its way to taking a stab at a national crown. The grind toward the NCAA tournament for Virginia (12-0, 1-0 ACC) starts with an out-of-conference match against No. 29 Boise State and an ACC contest against Boston College (6-1) Saturday at the Boar’s Head Sports Club.
In an enticing matchup against Boise State (5-3), Virginia senior Dominic Inglot will no longer have to look up at a higher-ranked opponent in the singles after vaulting in the standings from No. 43 to No. 6. Inglot faced four top-20 players during the past three weeks. He defeated the first two and was on the verge of beating then-No. 10 Arnau Brugues of Tulsa in the first round of the National Indoors before Virginia clinched the match with other singles’ victories.
His victories confirmed what Inglot already knew: He is a top-10 caliber player.
“I believed I had the potential to be a top-10 player at the beginning of the season,” Inglot said. “I knew it wasn’t going to happen automatically, but I knew I could build myself into a top-10 player because I got there before. I think I deserve to be where I’m at.”
Inglot has grown accustomed to playing against top-notch competition and added that his new rank will not change his outlook.
“Every week in, week out you’re playing against the best guys,” Inglot said. “Before I was playing against guys who were higher-ranked, and now I’ll be playing against guys who are lower-ranked, but I don’t think that will make any difference. I want to go out there and impose my game on them and show them that I deserve to be here.”
Inglot’s first singles match at No. 6 in the country will come against Boise State’s No. 62 Clancy Shields.
“Clancy Shields is a good player,” Inglot said. “He’ll be a tough battle. All those guys on the Boise team fight like lions — real hard.”
The two teams played a like opponent earlier in the season in then-No. 4 UCLA. Boise State won both No. 1 singles and No. 1 doubles against the Bruins, but dropped the remaining matches to lose, 1-6.
Unlike the Broncos, Virginia showed superior depth, winning at the top-three spots as well as at the No. 6 position in singles to clinch the quarterfinals of the National Indoors tournament, 4-3.
A critical factor in the Virginia win was the play of freshman Drew Courtney, who has excelled in the No. 6 slot for the Cavaliers. Courtney compiled a 3-0 singles record in the tournament and was named to the all-tournament team.
“Honestly, I expected to have success,” Courtney said. “As a freshman, it’s kind of weird to have so many great things happen so soon, but it’s awesome.”
Coach Brian Boland was ecstatic about — though not surprised by — the freshmen’s early success.
“I certainly knew they had the potential,” Boland said. “I think it’s hard to say both as a team or individuals how quickly they’ll develop. You’ve seen the incredible strides with all our players, but in particular [freshman] Steven Rooda and Courtney have come a long ways in a short time.”
Perhaps it is because of this accelerated rate at which Courtney and Rooda have adjusted that Virginia has managed to seize the college tennis limelight. The Cavaliers are now situated in a familiar position: number one in the nation.
“Last year, everyone expected it of us,” Inglot said. “Everyone looked at our team and thought this was the best team on paper in college ... There was a big bull’s eye on our back. It might now become like that again, but I don’t think as much so ... We got a little bit overconfident last year. We just thought we were going to get it, whereas here we know we have to work for it.”
Although Virginia appreciates the No. 1 ranking, Boland added the team has not lost sight of its most pressing concerns.
“Certainly you’re honored, particularly in college tennis when there’s so much depth and so many great programs out there,” Boland said. “At the same time, it’s not something we focus on every day.”
Inglot said he does not believe the team will become too confident because of the ranking, adding that the competitiveness of ACC play should help them maintain their intensity.
“It can be [a step down] if you let it be,” Inglot said, noting that upcoming competition will not be quite as prominent as it was over the weekend. “The temptation will be, ‘Oh, well we’re playing Boise or Boston College.’ It’s easy to take the foot off the pedal. But this team is really disciplined. I think myself and [junior] Houston [Barrick] as captains will make sure everyone understands [that].”
Boland said the team is grounded and prepared for this weekend’s slate of games.
“The national indoors brings together the best teams in the country,” Boland said. “But the ACC is a league we have a great respect for, as well as our non-conference. Boise State is a great team, and any ACC match like Boston College you have to be ready to play.”
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