It was a busy weekend of tennis at the Snyder Courts, as both the Virginia men and women’s tennis teams played matches Friday and Sunday.
The No. 13 Virginia women's team (14-9, 9-5 ACC) defeated Pittsburgh (7-12, 1-12 ACC), 6-1, Friday and went on to defeat No. 51 Notre Dame (11-12, 5-9 ACC) Sunday. The No. 1 Virginia men's team (22-3, 11-1 ACC) also earned two huge victories this weekend, defeating No. 7 Wake Forest (25-5, 9-2 ACC), 5-2, and Miami (8-14, 3-9 ACC), 7-0.
It was senior weekend for both teams, and students, family and Charlottesville residents turned out in droves to support their Cavaliers.
Women’s tennis senior Julia Elbaba noticed the great support and offered praise to the fans who came out to support her last home stand on the team.
“It’s a great feeling,” Elbaba said. “We had a great atmosphere with the fans and family out here today, and to win that last point was just extremely exciting.”
The women’s team is comprised of many seniors, making it an emotional weekend for Cavaliers. Still, they were able to dig out two key wins before the postseason, giving the team a little momentum behind a three-game winning streak. Virginia coach Mark Guilbeau noticed the team stepped up when they needed to against quality opponents.
“We know that the margin is slim,” Guilbeau said. “These are good teams. … I’m very happy for the girls on Senior Day. It’s a special day, aside from the tennis, really.”
Virginia’s top two seniors — and top two players overall — each put in a pair of dominant performances on the weekend. Danielle Collins won 6-1, 6-0 against Pittsburgh and 6-1, 6-3 against Notre Dame, and Elbaba won 6-2, 6-3 against Pittsburgh and 6-1, 6-2 against Notre Dame. No. 3 senior Stephanie Nauta split her weekend matches, winning against Pittsburgh and falling against Notre Dame.
Guilbeau noted how the team seems to be working together and playing their best tennis at the right time.
“We’ve had a lot of adversity and we honor that, but this is the best we’ve been, in terms of demeanor and attitude, and energy, and having a positive mindset,” Guilbeau said. “That’s part of why you see the three wins in a row and you see the close matches going our way.”
For the men, senior weekend was a send-off for an incredibly decorated senior class, including Jonathan Cornish, Mac Styslinger and Ryan Shane.
The Cavaliers clinched their 13th straight ACC regular season championship on the weekend, and Virginia coach Brian Boland was effusive in his praise for the team.
“It’s an overwhelming statistic considering the strength of the league, so I’m just thrilled for our players, particularly our seniors,” Boland said. “And it’s a great way to finish the regular season.”
Friday’s match against Wake Forest was a battle of ACC heavy weights to decide the ACC title. Shane, a team captain, put in an impressive performance to defeat Demon Deacon sophomore Skander Mansouri 6-1, 6-2, and ultimately, the Cavaliers picked up the 5-2 win to clinch the regular season title.
Sunday was a less stressful game for the Cavaliers, but it was Senior Day, so losing was not an option. The Cavaliers responded with a 7-0 sweep of Miami to go into the postseason with momentum as the No. 1 team in the nation.
Junior Luca Corinteli is pleased with how the team is looking ahead of the postseason, and is excited for postseason play.
“I think we are all in the right place,” Corinteli said. “We’re starting to peak at the right time and this is what everyone looks forward to all season, and so we’re ready to go.”
Boland echoed Corinteli, as he believes his team is prepared to make a deep run in the postseason.
“We’re exactly where we want to be,” Boland said. “I think we have tremendous confidence. I thought we came out with a lot of energy today and it lasted throughout the match.”
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