The Virginia women’s tennis team expected a tough battle going into its double header against Marshall and Richmond Saturday but came out with two big wins instead.
Virginia (6-2) started the day off against Marshall (5-5), defeating the Thundering Herd 5-2. The win helped set a victorious tone for the remainder of the weekend contest, as the Cavaliers won all three doubles matches as well.
“The doubles are a strong point,” Virginia head coach Mark Guilbeau said. “They’ve been a very positive part of our season so far. Last year we didn’t have so much success in the doubles points but this year we’re doing a lot better.”
Freshman Emily Fraser and junior Jennifer Stevens have excelled at No. 1 and won their match 8-1 against Marshall’s top-seeded team. In the No. 2 doubles spot, Virginia sophomore Neela Vaez and senior Amanda Rales beat Marshall’s historically successful pair of Kellie Schmitt and Isabell Raich, and freshman Lindsey Hardenbergh and senior Maggie Yahner also saw success at No. 3 doubles.
“We’ve had some good options at No. 3, so now we’re trying to determine what the best pairing down there is at three,” Guilbeau said. “So we not only have done well but have an opportunity to do even better.”
Fraser also made good on her debut at the top of the singles ladder when she played against Schmitt — a noteworthy achievement for Virginia, as the team has struggled against Schmitt in the past.
“[Emily] hit the ball extremely well, and it seems she overpowered Kellie Schmitt, which is a great result,” Guilbeau said. “We’ve never beaten her during the four years that we’ve played against her. She’s been ranked as high as top 15 in the country so that was a great step for Emily.”
It was a hard-fought match on both sides, but with a sweep in the third set, Fraser pushed the final score to 6-4, 2-6, 6-0.
“It was [Emily’s] first opportunity at No. 1 singles and that’s something that the team definitely needs, is leadership up there,” Guilbeau said. “It’s a lot to ask from first-years but it’s something that they should expect and be ready to do, and she’s showing that.”
Rales and Stevens also carried their energy to the singles competition, as both players scored wins against their opponents in their No. 3 and No. 4 positions. And, in the No. 6 singles spot, Vaez battled Marshall’s Catherine Kellner in a 2-6, 6-3, 6-2 skirmish.
“That match was very up and down,” Guilbeau said. “Neela [Vaez] does continue to give a good effort and work through things, but there’s a lot of points where it’s not quite as efficient or focused as it could be. Neela had defeated Kellner from Marshall very easy in the fall, and it looked like at the very start of the match that it would be the same situation.”
Vaez also seemed to have a problem making the most of her opportunities in Virginia’s second match of the day against Richmond, but Guilbeau said the performance was not entirely negative.
“Our players should have the opportunity to win [three-set matches] because of the training that they do,” Guilbeau said. “Hopefully they’re going to be as strong physically or stronger than their opponent, and three-setters to me are the ultimate test of who really will make adjustments and basically do what tennis is so special about doing and that is being intelligent and making smart decisions. All of that said, I think three-setters are very positive, and we should have an expectation to be the team that comes through and wins most of those.”
Hardenbergh also faced a three-set dual against her Richmond opponent, but the Cavaliers commanded the other five matches and prevented the Spiders from winning a single match. Defeating Richmond 7-0 in the afternoon, the Virginia women did not allow fatigue to get the best of them.
“There are going to be days when you’re playing one dual match against a top, top team in the country, and you’re going to need that same amount of effort that we put into both matches yesterday,” Guilbeau said. “You’re going to need all of that at one time; so that’s a perspective that they need to be aware of. We’ve got to be ready for that kind of effort on a consistent basis.”
One other player who shined for the Cavaliers during Saturday’s matches was freshman Claire Bartlett, who made her season debut against Richmond. At No. 3 doubles, Bartlett and Hardenbergh achieved an 8-2 victory, and at the No. 6 singles spot against Richmond, Bartlett hammered a 6-4, 6-0 victory to add to the Cavaliers’ sweep.
Virginia begins its ACC season next weekend when the team travels to Maryland Friday. During her last season, Rales said she plans to take advantage of every remaining match, especially during conference competition.
“We have to be ready for battle and we hope to be pleasantly surprised,” Rales said. “If we’re doing the right things, it could be easier than we might have thought.”
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