Cavaliers Continue Homestand Friday Against Kentucky

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CHARLOTTESVILLE The fifth-ranked Virginia men’s tennis team continues its seven-match homestand Friday night as it hosts No. 31 Kentucky at the Boyd Tinsley Courts at the Boar’s Head Sports Club. Match time is 6 p.m. and admission is free.

The Cavaliers are 6-0 this season and are coming off a pair of 7-0 wins over Arkansas and East Tennessee State in qualifying for the ITA National Team Indoor Championships last weekend. Virginia was the only team to qualify for the 16-team field with two 7-0 wins. The Cavaliers lead the nation with six ranked singles players, including No. 11 Michael Shabaz (Fairfax, Va.), No. 24 Sanam Singht (Chandigarh, India) and No. 43 Dominic Inglot (London, England). Inglot is 5-0 this season at No. 1 singles and has defeated the No. 23, No. 20, No. 15 and No. 9 ranked players in the nation in his last four matches.

Kentucky is 4-1 and is coming off an impressive weekend of play at the Oxford, Miss. qualifying site. The Wildcats lost a 4-3 battle with host Ole Miss, ranked No. 9 nationally, before upsetting then-No. 17 Rice 4-3 the next day. Kentucky is led by Bruno Agostinelli, the nation’s No. 4 ranked player.

“We had a very competitive match with Kentucky last year and we have a lot of respect for them,” said head coach Brian Boland. “We will have to play well. We are looking forward to another opportunity to play at home in front of all our great fans at the Boyd Tinsley Courts. Our fans create a great atmosphere and give us that extra boost of energy and that has helped us over the past few years establish a great record at home. We will certainly have to be ready for a great Kentucky team on Friday night.”

The Cavaliers close out their homestand on Sunday as they host No. 74 Maryland in their ACC opener. Match time is 2 p.m. Next week Virginia travels to Chicago to defend its ITA National Indoor Championship. Play runs Friday-Monday (Feb. 13-16) at the Midtown Tennis Club.