Can Brian Boland coach or what? He's taken six guys from his first two recruiting classes -- none of whom are even of legal drinking age -- and has them off to a school record 15-1 start, including a first place ACC mark of 4-0. The 2004 Cavaliers set another record yesterday with the announcement of the new ITA rankings that placed Virginia at a school-best 14th in the country. Maybe coach can treat them to a pizza party in celebration.
Thanks to Boland, Virginia men's tennis is no longer known just as Brian Vahaly's alma mater (bonus points if you actually know who that is). In just his third year at the helm, the Cavaliers are in unfamiliar territory. Despite never having won an ACC title, Virginia has vaulted atop the standings at the midpoint of this year's conference season -- a far cry from the seventh place finish in Boland's first season two years ago.
"I've always believed that the University of Virginia is a place where anything is possible," Boland said. "I came in here and knew that the sky was the limit. It's a great school. It really has all the ingredients to build a top program."
The Cavaliers are certainly en route to that elite status. The team's only defeat thus far was a road loss to Illinois, the top-ranked team in the nation. Their progress this season has been particularly remarkable considering their youth, last season's second-half collapse and the fact that the difficulty of their schedule was ratcheted up a notch in the offseason. Virginia, who routinely fills its six-man lineup with five sophomores and a freshman, began last season in similar fashion, amassing a 20-3 record before dropping its final five matches of the season and missing a berth in the NCAA Tournament.
"We knew it was going to take some time," Boland said. "It's probably gone a little bit quicker than we expected thanks to the first recruiting class who came in. We certainly feel that over the last year they've really improved and matured a lot."
Though Boland, when asked about his team's high national ranking, resolutely responded, "I don't care," the players are more willing to recognize this mid-season milestone.
The ranking "feels great because we had a really disappointing season last year," sophomore Doug Stewart said. "We really dropped at the end of the year. I think our inexperience caught up to us."
It seems funny for a second-year player to be talking about his previous inexperience, but that's just the situation Virginia finds itself in. Stewart holds himself with poise of the seasoned veteran he's already become, now competing in his second season as Virginia's No. 1. He compiled a 27-8 dual match record last year and is currently the 21st-ranked singles player in the country.
Stewart has emerged as the star of his exceptional class -
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