For the Virginia men’s tennis team, it’s a test of faith. For the women, it’s a game of execution. But for both, today’s matches taking place on the Sheridan Snyder Tennis Center courts are ultimately the same: crucial, intense and highly anticipated rivalries.
The men (8-4, 2-3 ACC) will battle in-state foe Virginia Commonwealth (13-8) at 1 p.m. in one of their toughest matchups of the year. On paper, things look discouraging for the Cavaliers, who will face their highest-ranked opponent of the season so far. The No. 26 Rams are ranked 19 spots higher than Virginia, and have won all but one of their meetings with the Cavaliers since 1990. Although Virginia defeated VCU in the first round of the NCAA Regionals in 1998, the Rams lead the all-time series, 11-9.
But like all in-state contests, history never can predict the outcome, and it definitely won’t stop the Cavaliers from believing they can win.
It’s going to be a tough match, Virginia men’s coach Dick Stockton said. They are a very, very good and strong team. We could win, 4-3, or we could lose, 6-1. That’s how good they are. It’s a match we can win, but certainly we’ve got our work cut out for us.
After the men take the courts, the women (12-5, 1-1) will meet ACC contender Maryland (5-7. 1-2) at 2:30 p.m. Though the Terrapins are unranked, Virginia cannot take them lightly. In close, hard-fought matches, Virginia has lost in three of their last four meetings with the Terrapins. The Cavaliers undoubtedly will need to be as ready as they can be to end the trend and pull out a victory.
It’s going to be a tough and competitive match, Virginia women’s assistant coach Justin Drzal said. It’s one of the more intense matches of the year, because the rivalry is up. We’re going to need to raise our competitive nature and bring it all to the table. We’re going to have to handle ourselves and be prepared for whatever [Maryland] brings.
Today’s contest is a big one for both the Cavaliers and the Terrapins, who are both coming off of conference losses and hoping to move up in the ACC standings. Virginia dropped its match to Georgia Tech on Sunday, and Maryland lost both its weekend matches to the Yellow Jackets and Clemson. The Terrapins also are riding a three-match losing streak and are eager to pick up their first ACC victory.
They’re going to be really pumped up and want to rebound from their weekend, Drzal said. They’ll have a grudge against us.
The Cavaliers’ experienced squad of two seniors Christie Schweer and Kelly Weaver and one junior Amy O’Donnell should be a big factor against the Terrapins. Maryland, with three freshmen and one sophomore making up part of its top six, are very young and will need that enthusiasm to beat Virginia.
Like the women’s teams, both the Virginia and VCU men are coming off losses and looking for a motivating victory. The Cavaliers lost to Georgia Tech on Saturday, and the Rams lost to No. 3 Duke last Friday.
The Cavaliers clearly will look to seniors Brian Vahaly, the 12th-ranked player in the nation, and Huntley Montgomery to lead the way. Both have dominated in their singles matches thus far and have paired up for the third-best doubles team in the country. But today they will be put to the test when they meet VCU’s doubles team of Florian Marquardt and Frank Moser, which is ranked No. 2.
Vahaly and Montgomery are likely to win their singles, but somewhere we have to find two more points to win, Stockton said.
Hopefully those points will come from the bottom half of the lineup for Virginia. Sophomore Michael Duquette, who plays at the No. 4 spot, has proven to be a big factor for the Cavaliers with two recent, match-winning victories against William & Mary and Clemson already under his belt.
For both the men and women, today won’t be easy; and, according to Drzal, it’s far from predictable.
It’s almost like you could flip a coin to decide who wins.
Photo by Cavalier Daily Staff Photographer, Cavalier Daily Photo Staff
Brian Hunter and the men's tennis team face rival VCU today, a team they have beaten only once since 1990.