In collegiate tennis, fall competition is considered by most a highly individual sport as opposed to the team-based spring competition. At the close of tournaments such as the William & Mary Invitational last weekend, individual winners are announced in place of one winning team.
"One of the key focal points that we have for this year is that it's always team-driven," Virginia women's tennis coach Mark Guilbeau said. "But I think we realized over the history of our program that the best way we're going to have great team success is by some individual accomplishment - individuals stepping up and really achieving some things."
The team seems to have taken Guilbeau's words to heart, as it bounced back from a slow start to finish strong during the weekend.
Senior Jennifer Stevens, freshman Erin Vierra and sophomore Lindsey Hardenbergh found themselves in the second tier of competition, called the backdraw pool, for those who lose their first-round matches.
Vierra recovered after her 7-5, 2-6, 6-2 first-round heartbreaker against the No. 98 player in the country and won 6-4, 6-0 in the backdraw.
Stevens and Hardenbergh fought similar battles and found themselves facing off against each other in the final match of the backdraw bracket, the match that earned Hardenbergh the individual title with her 6-1, 6-2 triumph. Vierra fell to Hardenbergh 6-1, 6-2 earlier in the weekend, making Hardenbergh's match against Stevens the second time she faced off against a fellow Cavalier.
"They focused individually for the good of the group, and even when they faced off against each other," Guilbeau said. "Lindsey's [Hardenbergh] match with Jenny [Stevens] was played with very high level and Lindsey's match with Erin [Vierra] was also the same way. To all their credits, whether it was an opponent from a different school or each other they handled themselves really well."
The arrival of Virginia's four freshmen this year caused a shuffling of the doubles tandems, and the Cavaliers debuted three new combinations at the start of the tournament.
"We saw really good progress from the team and probably the best start in doubles that we've had in terms of young kids being able to do the complex new things - the crossing, the closing, the positions - old kids leading that, and even some of the upperclass kids, even them going into new areas. So that was a real highlight," Guilbeau said.
Stevens and freshman Hana Tomljanovic advanced to win the final match in the first flight of doubles competition, and Hardenbergh and Vierra took down two opposing teams in backdraw matches.\n"[Lindsey and I] are both really high-energy when we play, and certain people just play well together," Vierra said. "We're both really upbeat and talk a lot and jump around so it works."
Good chemistry within a doubles pair is essential in the game of tennis, Guilbeau said, and the coaching staff has specific plans for what could enhance this chemistry and overall performance. The team has been honing its game this week in preparation for its first and only home tournament of the fall season.
First, the team is working on "skipping the approach shot." In tennis, an approach shot is utilized when one player hits a short ball that lands somewhere around the service line, forcing the opposing player to "approach" the net to return the ball. Because of the ball's initial placement in the middle of the court, the approach shot is a compromise between a ground stroke and a volley. The team is working on abandoning the need for the approach shot by hitting solid ground strokes that win points by taking the opponent's return straight out of the air.
Secondly, Guilbeau explained that the team is refining its ability to "fill-in" during doubles matches, which is process of two players working off of each other to execute points as successfully and strategically as possible as a pair.
"It's kind of like a volleyball mentality: the dig, the set, and the finish," Guilbeau said. "It's kind of like that when the net player really gets aggressive. We want our baseline player coming up and helping finish."
The team's third area of concentration is a basic but crucial aspect of the game: the forehand return. By attacking the opposition with strong forehands from mid-court, the Cavaliers can put their opponents in a difficult situation.
The Virginia team has been able to dedicate practice time to such specific aspects of the game because the coaching staff now trusts that individuals will make it their responsibility to elevate their own games as much as they can.
"These kids are very organized, and just really focused," Guilbeau said. "It's something that is nice to see where we're not worrying about all of the little details because we know they're on it and they do a great job in that regard."
The Cavaliers will combine these three highlighted tactics with their usual strategies at home this weekend when they host the U.Va. Fall Invitational all day Friday through Sunday at the Snyder Tennis Center in Charlottesville.
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