Q&A with Treat Huey

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Virginia senior tennis player Treat Huey is a four-time All-ACC selection and was the 2008 ACC Tournament MVP. This week, he and the top-seeded Cavaliers open play in the NCAA Tournament by hosting a regional at the Snyder Tennis Center. Virginia plays Fairleigh Dickinson Saturday at 10 a.m. with VCU and Penn State meeting at 1 p.m. The two winners will play at 1 p.m. Sunday. Huey caught up with VirginiaSports.com to look back at the season and to preview the start of the NCAA Tournament.

Question: With the start of the NCAA Tournament this weekend, what is the mindset of the team?
Huey: The team has been real focused over the past week or so. We have gotten some great practices in and now everyone is finishing up with exams. Now that school is pretty much over, we have been able to come out here for some two-a-days and really work and get better.

Question: When you begin play on Saturday, it will be three weeks since you last played in the ACC Tournament. What has this break done for the team?
Huey: It was definitely good for everyone to get back, refocus on school and finish up the semester. It has also given us a chance to rest at the same time. We have been able to come back rejuvenated. We have played a lot of matches in practice over the past week and are ready for this weekend.

Question: You have been a high seed in the NCAA Tournament the past few years. Is there any difference this year being the overall No. 1 seed?
Huey: I don’t think it is too different. We have come in the last few years thinking we could win a title and that is no different this year. We have the players to do it. If we go out there and play our best, hopefully we will do well.

Question: Virginia has led the nation in attendance all season. What has that crowd support meant to the team?
Huey: The crowd here in Charlottesville is amazing. All the fan support is unbelievable and we appreciate it so much. They help us in every match. We are leading the attendance race this year and you can’t say enough our fans. We are thankful for their support.

Question: As a senior, what are your thoughts heading into your final weekend of matches at Snyder?
Huey: I haven’t really though about it too much but it will probably set in this weekend. I definitely want to go out there and play some good tennis. Hopefully the fans will remember me as a pretty good player so I want to go out and show that one more time at Snyder.

Question: You ended the regular season strong in singles and followed that play with an ACC Tournament MVP performance. Are you individually playing your best tennis at this point in the season?
Huey: Definitely. Coach always talks about peaking at the right time. We all have been playing some really good tennis. Everybody’s goal was to peak at the NCAA Tournament. It really looks that way from what everyone has shown in practice this week.