Virginia's No. 1 tennis team has not lost a match yet this year, but faces another challenge Wednesday in Blacksburg against No. 37 Virginia Tech.
The Cavaliers (16-0, 2-0 ACC), highlighted by two top-5 singles players and the No. 1 doubles tandem, will be playing the Hokies (9-2, 2-0 ACC) in their fourth match against a top-50 team since Feb. 29. Despite the frequency of these challenges, Virginia shows no sign of letting up -- its last two matches have resulted in 7-0 routs of then-No. 9 Baylor and conference opponent Boston College.
Virginia coach Brian Boland, now in his seventh season with the Cavalier men's tennis program, said fatigue has not been an issue for the team.
"We've had time off over Spring Break, and we've had practice leading up to Maryland," Boland said. "I have no concerns with regard to us wearing down."
While football, basketball and other sports consider the Hokies rivals, on the tennis court, Virginia Tech is just another tough conference opponent.
"I always think it's a competitive match, [but] I don't think we look at it as a rivalry," Boland said. "It's not only an in-state team, but one that is in your conference [and] is as strong and competitive as Virginia Tech."
Virginia Tech has compiled an impressive record and national ranking despite having just one player ranked in the top 125 for singles and having no tandems ranked in the top 60 for doubles.The Hokies are on a two-game losing streak after falling on the road to No. 13 Tennessee and No. 45 Louisville, but will return home for their match against Virginia, which has consistently blown out opponents. Only three of the Cavaliers' 16 victories resulted in a 1-point margin.
The Cavaliers have earned headlines and national acclaim not only with seasoned veterans like top-ranked senior Somdev Devvarman and the six other upperclassmen on the roster, but with solid performances from underclassmen such as freshman Sanam Singh, who has won 15 consecutive matches.
Singh, who is ranked No. 97 nationally and competes on a No. 38 doubles team with freshman Michael Shabaz, credits his success to his improvement in practice.
"I've been practicing a lot, and I've improved," Singh said. "That's showing in my results."
The match against the Hokies will be the second of a four-game series of away games against conference opponents and a string of 10 conference matches to close out the regular season.
The Virginia men's tennis team has displayed ability and consistency throughout its season, and with continued effort and dedication, the Cavaliers look to keep it up as postseason approaches.
"I'm just going to go out there and give 100 percent," Singh said. "Hopefully all of us can come up as winners"
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