It won’t be in Scott Stadium or University Hall, and it won’t be in Lane Stadium or Cassell Coliseum either. But even if it isn’t football or basketball, the same rivalry exists between the University and its archenemy Virginia Tech.

When the Virginia women’s tennis team hosts the Hokies on the indoor courts of the Boars Head Inn Sports Club at 6:30 tonight, it won’t be any different.

“Sure there aren’t going to be 60,000 people cheering for us, and it’s not going to be on national television,” Cavalier assistant coach Justin Drzal said. “But the rivalry is just as big.”

“It gets really intense between us,” junior Amy O’Donnell added. “It’s almost like we don’t like each other before the match even begins.”

But it’s not just the rivalry that pumps the Cavaliers up for tonight’s showdown. Recent meetings between the two squads have been nothing but battles down to the wire.

Of the four confrontations between Virginia and Virginia Tech over the past three years, the last match decided three. The Cavaliers defeated the Hokies last season as well as during 1998, while the Hokies won in 1999, all by a score of 5-4.

“It’s going to be a war, and we’re going to have to fight out there,” Drzal said. “We’re always ranked at a similar place and match up well. We’ve had very close matches with them that have been gritty and exciting. They’re always eager to play us, and it gives us more reason to get riled up to play them.”

Virginia (5-4) will need the extra energy to snap a two-match losing streak. The Cavaliers, who have dropped three of their last four matches, lost to Florida International and Miami, 6-1 and 5-2, respectively, last week.

Leading Virginia is O’Donnell, who plays the top singles spot on the squad. O’Donnell had one of the Cavaliers’ two wins in the match against Miami as she defeated Alanna Broderick (6-3, 6-4) in straight sets. Sophomore Henriette Williams holds No. 2 and defeated Miami’s Bettina Hafner (4-6, 6-1, 6-2) to give Virginia its second win.

Senior Christie Schweer, one of the Cavaliers’ few veterans, fills the third spot. Schweer’s four-year experience will give Virginia much-needed leadership and guidance against its in-state rival.

“As a senior, I’ve played [the Hokies] a lot, and I kind of know what to expect,” Schweer said. “We’re going to need mental toughness because a lot of tension and conflicts go on with a team like them.”

Virginia Tech (7-6) is coming off a 5-2 win over Florida Atlantic to end a three-game losing streak. The Hokies are also loaded with experience, which may be a factor in tomorrow’s hotly contested match. Sophomore Kristen Stubbs, senior Antonella Pozzi and junior Ines Khelifi the top three for Virginia Tech.