The Virginia women's tennis team hopes to squash any symptoms of arachnophobia when they face the Richmond Spiders today at the Snyder Tennis Center.
The Cavaliers (9-5, 0-1 ACC) are coming off a hard-fought 7-2 loss to No. 19 Florida State March 19. Although it was their fourth match in six days, the Cavs played aggressively against the talented Seminole team.
Richmond (6-8) is hoping to steal another win from Virginia after last year's come-from-behind victory. The Cavaliers were up 4-2 after singles play, but the Spiders finished strong and took all three doubles matches to win 5-4 and end an eight-match losing streak to Virginia.
"They picked up their level of play and we didn't match it last year in the doubles," said Cav assistant coach Justin Drzal. "We went out and tried our hardest; they just happened to be much more pumped up and much more ready to go."
Returning for Richmond this season are three seniors including last year's top two starters, Janelle Williams and Elizabeth Cascarilla. Williams' position is pivotal as top starter and leader of a team that includes five freshmen.
Facing Williams and Cascarilla in the top two spots for Virginia will be sophomore Amy O'Donnell and junior Christie Schweer. Schweer also plays the important role of captain for a young Cavalier team with no seniors after the loss of last year's captains and top seeds, Paige Boiko and Stacy Gingold.
Schweer "is the epitome of hardwork," said Drzal. "She sets the theme and the tone of our practices. She's definitely a great leader for us to have."
Christie is joined by two other teammates as captains. Juniors Leslie Cook and Kelly Weaver are the fourth and sixth seeds, respectively. Freshman Henriette Williams will play the third seed, while another freshman, Jennifer Tuchband, will start as the fifth seed.
In doubles play, Cook and Schweer are the top seeds, while O'Donnell and sophomore Christine Kim are the starting second seeds. Weaver and Tuchband will play the third-seeded Spider pair.
If the match comes down to doubles again this year, look for the Cavaliers to be ready to take charge.
"Our coach has been very happy about how we have been playing in doubles," said Schweer. "We've been using the right strategies and improving a lot on the court."
The feeling of excitement going into today's match stems from more than last year's loss. NCAA tournament invitations are based on performance by region, not by conference.
"Richmond and Maryland are the two teams that we play that are in our East region, and not just in the ACC," said Schweer. "Playing them will help to determine if we get an NCAA bid."
Drzal said he thinks the home court advantage will help lift the Cavs over Richmond this year.
"It's an advantage to us and our players to have some support," said Drzal. "If you can bring even 30-35 people to a match that are clapping and cheering, then suddenly your opponents get a little frazzled."
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