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Virginia will face top teams at UNC Invite

Cavs could face ACC foes, highly ranked non-conference opponents in prestigious fall tournament at Chapel Hill

The UNC Invitational at Chapel Hill, N.C. is expected this weekend to attract a collection of the toughest competitors from across the country, including the Virginia women's tennis team.

"There's no way to miss in this tournament," Virginia coach Mark Guilbeau said. "Our kids included, it'll be one of the strongest tournaments, I think, in the fall around the entire country."

The tournament will provide Virginia the chance to face conference rivals Duke, North Carolina, Georgia Tech and N.C. State.

"Anyone that we play is going to be a very positive opportunity," Guilbeau said. "Across the board, individually speaking, these will be loaded with ranked players and top players."

At the end of the 2008-09 season, the Blue Devils finished second in the ACC with a 25-3 overall record, going 10-1 in the ACC. The Yellow Jackets and Tar Heels came in fourth and sixth, respectively. Virginia followed in seventh with a 14-10 overall record and a 5-6 conference record. Playing in this weekend's tournament will provide the Cavaliers the opportunity to gain valuable experience that could help them climb past their conference opponents in the spring.

Georgia and Florida, which boast the No. 2 and No. 3 players in the country, respectively, will also attend. The stiff competition means Guilbeau needs to gauge his team's abilities in advance to find the best possible lineup.

"We're going to be able to mix up [the doubles teams] a little this weekend," Guilbeau said. "That's an advantage of doing it this way, is you don't have to keep it the same, so we'll potentially play different doubles pairings all three days."

Guilbeau will also provide freshman Hana Tomljanovic an opportunity to play doubles - a skill she has just begun to develop in her collegiate career.

"I was always more of a singles person," Tomljanovic said. "But when I came here ... I think my doubles went five, 10 levels above how I used to play doubles."

The tournament's format dictates that each player will represent her school's team, but her individual scores will determine the results.

"The most important part, really, still is the individual results," Guilbeau said.

Not only will the tournament benefit the squad in terms of gaining experience, but the six- or eight-player teams in the bracket this weekend will also look to develop the chemistry needed to formulate a successful and cohesive team unit.

"One thing on our team is that we're learning to be closer," sophomore Lindsey Hardenbergh said. "We're watching each other, we're able to give tough love when it needs to be said and there's enough respect and honesty to be able to take it"

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