The Virginia women’s tennis team suffered two losses against conference foes Florida State and Miami this weekend. The defeats mark the third and fourth consecutive conference losses for the Cavaliers.
Virginia coach Mark Guilbeau called Friday’s match against Florida State “heartbreaking,” as the Seminoles (10-6, 3-4 ACC) notched a tight 4-3 victory and served the Cavaliers (10-6, 3-4 ACC) their first home loss this season.
The doubles pair of freshman Emily Fraser and junior Jennifer Stevens squeezed out a 9-8 win against Florida State’s No. 1 doubles team for the first point of the match. Senior Amanda Rales then teamed up with sophomore Neela Vaez, winning 8-5 at No. 2 against Florida State junior Jessica Sucupira and sophomore Federica Suess.
The Seminoles stayed strong, though: Their No. 2 singles player, freshman Noemie Scharle, defeated Stevens 6-1, 6-2. Virginia kept the battle alive as Rales upset Suess in a 6-2, 6-2 duel at the No. 4 position.
The tides turned again at No. 6. Vaez fell to Sucupira, losing 6-4, 6-3. But Fraser followed immediately with a 2-6, 6-1, 6-3 come-from-behind win against sophomore Katie Rybakova to give the Cavaliers a 3-2 edge.
The narrow lead did not last long, however, as the Seminoles secured the final two singles matches in a row — at the No. 3 and No. 5 positions — for the victory.
There were far fewer lead changes Sunday, as Miami (18-3, 7-1 ACC) handed the Cavaliers a 6-1 home loss. Virginia struggled to finish sets against the Hurricanes, and that fact contributed to the lopsided match score.
Freshman Karoline Steiro was the only Virginia athlete to come away with a victory Sunday, forcing junior Claudia Wasilewski to three sets and securing a 6-2, 1-6, 6-1 win at the No. 6 singles spot.
Even though Steiro’s score was the only final score that favored the Cavaliers, Guilbeau found the Cavaliers’ play impressive.
“In a general picture, I call [Fraser’s match] an even match,” Guilbeau said. “The way she turned that around and almost got it to a third set, I think that’s an incredible positive for Emily.”
Fraser lost her first set to top-ranked sophomore Julia Cohen 6-0 but managed to win four games in the second set. By playing long points at the baseline, Fraser held her own against the No. 6 player in the country.
“It was a matter of being consistent,” Guilbeau said. “[Fraser] changed her backhand into a sharp slice backhand which was really effective against [Cohen]. And also, [she] used some high, heavy-topspin balls as well that helped to kind of neutralize [Cohen]. She did everything she needed to do and didn’t force it quite as much.”
Much of Cohen’s success this season has been attributed to her being a backboard player, meaning that she simply returns any shot that comes at her instead of charging the net to end points early. This strategy forces Cohen’s opponents to do more work than usual.
“There was a period in there when I went for too much and was just making absurd mistakes that I don’t even make in regular matches, which I guess that’s what can happen against a player like that,” Fraser said. “You just have to put aside the fact that she’s really good at battling out there, and you’re just going to battle, too, and she’s probably just as tired as you are.”
Rales also put up a fight Sunday, as the Cavaliers’ No. 4 singles player forced Miami sophomore Michaela Kissell into a second set tiebreaker before falling 3-6, 7-6(1), 10-5.
Leading up to the match, Rales focused on her volleys and forward movement to the net. She also worked on implementing a flat first serve.
“Amanda is the best on our team in terms of implementing what we ask as coaches in terms of strategy, “ Guilbeau said. “So there’s complete and total trust there, and there’s a really strong feeling to know that she’s going to do number one — what she knows works — and number two — that she’ll work with you as a coach.”
The Virginia senior said her match’s outcome would have been even more in favor of her opponent had she not focused on improving specific aspects of her game.
“If I didn’t raise my game to a degree, maybe I wouldn’t even have gotten a set,” Rales said.
Other matches Sunday were not as competitive for Virginia. Stevens suffered a 6-1, 6-1 defeat at No. 2, and freshman Lindsey Hardenbergh lost 6-4, 6-1.
“There are some areas that we’ve got to work on big time,” Guilbeau said. “We’re going to address that right now, and I’m excited to work on it.”
Virginia will next play Duke and North Carolina on the road this weekend.
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