Women's Tennis Heads to ACC Tournament

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April 22, 1998

21st Annual ACC TournamentBill Moore Tennis CenterGeorgia TechAtlanta, Ga.April 23-26, 1998

Back to Their Winning Ways: The Cavaliers are 13-8 this season (spring record of 11-7) as they look for their first winning season in four years when Virginia was 12-10. This year’s squad is much improved over last year’s in ACC play as UVa finished tied for fourth in the conference with a 4-4 ACC record this spring; last season’s team posted a 2-6 league mark.

Head Coach Phil Rogers: Phil Rogers, a 1971 Virginia graduate, is in his 16th season as head coach of the Cavaliers. He has led the Cavaliers to all four NCAA Tournament berths in school history, including bids in each of the last two seasons. With a 176-155 (.532) record at Virginia, he is the fourth-winningest coach in ACC history. He has guided the Cavaliers to 58 ACC wins, fourth-most in league history.

Virginia in the ACC Tournament: Virginia finished in a tie with Maryland for fourth place in the ACC this season, but is the fifth seed in the upcoming ACC Tournament due to the regular season loss to the Terrapins (which is the first tie breaker). The Cavaliers have a chance to avenge that loss as they face the Terps in the quarterfinals of the ACC Tournament on Friday (April 24) at 6 PM. Maryland comes into the tournament on a bit of a roll, winning the last three matches. The Terrapins are 11-9 overall and 4-4 in the ACC. The winner faces top-seed Duke (21-3 overall, 8-0 in the ACC) Saturday at 2 PM.

The Cavaliers have been the fifth seed only once before (1996). They were the ninth seed last season. Virginia has advanced to the semifinals just once (in 1993).

Maryland Gains One-Point Win: The Cavaliers suffered a tough 5-4 loss to Maryland in College Park, Md., in the regular season meeting between the two teams. The score was tied at 3-all heading into the doubles play. Virginia took the lead following a win by Leslie Cook and Christie Schweer at #3, but Maryland pulled even with a win at #1. The Terps clinched the win as Thea Walkowitz and Chrissie Terrill defeated Paige Boiko and Kendall White in a tie-breaker 9-7 (9-7) at #2.

Freshmen Lead Cavaliers: Virginia’s line-up features three freshmen in the top six in what might be one of the youngest line-ups in the nation. Leslie Cook holds down the #4 position, while Christie Schweer plays #5 and Kelly Weaver is at #6. Cook started off hot early in the season, but has cooled since. She put together a six-match winning streak through the middle of March, but has won three of her last 10 matches and is 10-8 this spring. Schweer finished as the runner-up at her position in the ACC this season by compiling a 6-2 league record. She has won 12 of her last 14 matches going back to early March and is 14-4 this spring. Her 22 wins this season tie her with Paige Boiko for the team lead. Weaver has held down the #6 spot this spring after not seeing much action during the fall season. She has won three of her last four matches and is 14-10 overall this season, including 10-6 during the spring.

Boiko Wins Career-High 22 Matches: Junior Paige Boiko has quietly put together an outstanding spring season. A remarkably consistent player, she has won 22 matches this season, a career high. This marks the first time in her career she has won at least 20 matches (she was stuck on 18 wins in each of her first two seasons). Boiko finished as the runner-up in the ACC at #1 with a 6-2 league record. This is a vast improvement over last season when she was 3-5 as the Cavaliers’ #1 player.

Gingold Returns to Form: Stacy Gingold has found playing at #2 to her liking this season. She ended the season there last year, but without much success. This season is a different story. She is 12-8 at #2 this season and finished as the ACC’s runner-up there with a 5-3 mark. She is 18-12 overall this season as she attempts to equal her freshman win total of 25 in 1996.

Homecoming for Hill: Senior co-captain Emily Hill returns home to Atlanta this weekend. The Cavaliers’ #3 player, she was a four-time MVP at the Westminster School. A four-year starter who has not missed a dual match in her UVa career, Hill has a 12-15 record this season.