The No. 14 Virginia women’s tennis team finished 2-1 at the highly competitive Intercollegiate Tennis Association National Team Indoor Championship in Charlottesville this weekend. The Cavaliers (5-1) suffered their first loss of the season Friday, falling to second-ranked University of Florida in a close 4-2 match. Shaking off the loss, Virginia dominated the rest of the weekend, blanking No. 7 Texas A&M 4-0 Saturday and defeating No. 12 Alabama 4-1 to end its tournament appearance Sunday.
The opening match against the Gators (6-1) showcased several key matchups which resulted in the close competition of both singles and doubles matches. Sophomores Stephanie Nauta and Maci Epstein set the tone early in doubles, defeating senior Alexandra Cercone and freshman Stefani Stojic 6-3. The doubles point boiled down to the match on the first court, where the eighth-ranked duo sophomore Julia Elbaba and freshman Rachel Pierson fell to Florida’s senior Sofie Oyen and freshman Belinda Woolcock, giving the Gators an early 1-0 lead.
“When you lose a really tough doubles point, it’s hard to come back out and have that heart and fight,” coach Mark Guilbeau said. “They didn’t flinch — they put that point behind them.”
Opening up singles play, 11th-ranked Elbaba crushed No. 17 senior Olivia Janowicz 6-0, 6-2 to even the score. Florida was able to answer, recapturing the lead when Cercone narrowly defeated sophomore Danielle Collins in a 10-6 third set victory. Epstein’s win tied the match for Virginia once again, but two straight Cavalier losses led to a Gators victory.
“Even without winning the match, we really made some great progress,” Guilbeau said. “It gives us a clear indicator of where we are as a team.”
Matched against Texas A&M (4-2) in Saturday’s consolation round match, the Cavaliers proved history was not doomed to repeat itself. By upsetting the Aggies, a team which defeated them three times last season, Virginia also improved on last year’s championship record.
After winning the doubles point, the Cavaliers drew used strong singles performances on the lower courts to clinch the victory. Nauta started singles play off with a win against sophomore Anna Mamalat before Epstein followed suit shortly after to give the Cavaliers a 3-0 lead. Virginia’s first shutout of the season was secured by a win at the top court, where Elbaba defeated No. 14 Cristina Stancu.
Sunday’s matchup against Alabama (4-2) gave the Cavaliers a preview of what to expect when the two teams meet again next Saturday. The Crimson Tide struck first in doubles when the Alabama duo freshman Carmen Blanco and sophomore Maya Jansen claimed an early victory at No. 2 after Collins and senior Li Xi were forced to retire due to injury.
Although Virginia eventually clinched the doubles point and jumped to an early 1-0 lead, Jansen tried to stage an Alabama comeback by fighting to defeat Pierson 0-6, 6-3, 14-12 to even the score. Jansen’s effort fell short, however, and Collins was in the midst of a 9-4 tiebreaking match with freshman Danielle Spielmann when Epstein’s 6-1, 7-6(5) victory silenced the Crimson Tide once and for all.
Though the Cavaliers were knocked out of the tournament in the first round, all three of their opponents were ranked nationally in the top 15, which Collins said was an important opportunity for Virginia to test its skill..
“We’ve been working really hard, so that’s also given us a lot of confidence for how good we are and how tough we are,” Collins said.
Starting with the team’s first out-of-state match in Alabama, the rest of the Cavalier’s schedule will likely prove challenging. Of their remaining 17 opponents, 13 are nationally ranked.
“We’ve put together a really monster schedule for these kids,” Guilbeau said. “That’s out of respect for what we know this program, and these kids, want to do.”
Virginia will put its skills to the test when the team travels to Tuscaloosa, Ala. where it will face the Crimson Tide Feb. 15 in a rematch of Sunday’s battle.
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