After a solid performance at the William & Mary Fall Classic to open their season, the Virginia Cavaliers will look to continue their strong play this weekend at Wake Forest's Demon Deacon Classic.
Last weekend, junior Kristen James and freshman Diana Srebovic reached the semifinals of their flights but fell to the eventual champions. Overall, Virginia was able to capture titles in two draws, Flight B doubles and Flight D singles. The Flight D final was an all-Cavalier affair with freshman Lindsey Pereira defeating sophomore Caroline Hammond in straight sets. Pereira was also part of the champion doubles tandem with fellow freshman Rachel Del Priore.
"We got off to a great start," Virginia coach Phil Rogers said. "We know what people need to work on. We got a chance to see some of the first years play and see who could play doubles with each other."
The Cavaliers performed well at the Demon Deacon Classic last season, winning two draws and reaching the finals in two others. Hammond won the Flight D singles title and Marta and Dora Bechliwanis were slated to meet in the Flight C championship match but decided to split the title. Juniors James and Lauren Bruch also played well, falling in the finals of Flight A and Flight B, respectively.
"Last year was a lot of fun and U.Va. was very successful," James said. "I'm looking forward to going down there and watching everyone play well. We have a tournament under our belt and this weekend I think everyone should be playing better."
A lot of the focus in this event, and throughout the fall, will be the play of this year's five-member recruiting class. Srebovic, the No. 1 seed in Flight A for the second consecutive tournament, comes in with the highest expectations, but the rest of the class's play will be under review as well.
Neither Jessica Morais nor University of Georgia transfer Douglas Wink has been entered into any events this weekend, but Del Priore and Pereira will once again see action. This time they will both compete in Flight A doubles and Flight B singles as well.
In addition to gaining new recruits, the Cavaliers welcome back junior Lori Stern who was a solid contributor two seasons ago but missed last year because of a shoulder injury. Stern will compete in flight B singles with her two freshman teammates. James is seeded No. 3 in Flight A, Hammond and the Bechliwanis sisters will compete in Flight C singles and Bruch will be the lone Cavalier competing in Flight D.
In doubles, Srebovic and James are the No. 3 seed in Flight A and will be joined by tandems Bruch and Marta Bechliwanis, as well as Pereira and Del Priore. Stern and Hammond will be the only other pairing, competing in Flight B.
"I'm not looking at results so much as I am progress and understanding what these guys need to work on early in the year," Rogers said. "We're just trying to get everybody on the same page."
This year's Cavaliers said they believe they have more talent and depth than last year's squad, so getting on that page could mean the difference between disappointment and success in the spring.
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