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The Virginia women’s tennis team is 9-2 this season and ranked No. 18 nationally, the second highest ranking in the program’s history. The Cavaliers return to action on Sunday when they host in-state rival Virginia Tech at noon at the Snyder Tennis Courts. VirginiaSports.com caught up with freshman Emily Fraser to review the start of the season and to preview the rest of the year.
Question: You and the team have gotten off to a strong start to the season. What has been the key to your success?
Fraser: We have worked really hard to bond together as a team. As the season has gone along we have all gotten a lot more match tough. We have been working hard on our fitness and that has paid off recently. Just improving with each practice and each match has contributed to our success.
Question: In the last few matches, you have been playing No. 1 in the singles lineup. When you entered the season, did you expect to make this much of an impact during your freshman season?
Fraser: Not really. I hoped to contribute, but I didn’t have too high of expectations. I am honored to be playing at such a high position and hopefully I will continue to be able to have success at that spot.
Question: You are getting ready to open the outdoor season. What goes into the transition from indoor to outdoor tennis?
Fraser: It is definitely a transition. We are lucky to have this entire week to practice outside before our match on Sunday. It is just a matter of playing in the weather conditions again. It is something we have been working on in practice this week.
Question: How has the dynamic of this team been having so many newcomers like yourself on the roster?
Fraser: It has been great. We might have only a few veterans, but the ones we have really done a great job of making us feel comfortable and welcoming us into this school and this team. They have been great leaders and a lot of our success is because of their leadership and getting us newcomers ready to play at this level.
Question: This weekend is your first Virginia-Virginia Tech match. Are you excited for your first exposure to the rivalry?
Fraser: I am really excited. We are playing well right now and come into the match with a lot of momentum. It doesn’t matter what sport, it is always a big game or match when you play Virginia Tech.
Question: You are already 2-0 in the ACC and look to improve to 3-0 this weekend when you play Virginia Tech. With the strength of this conference, how important is it to get off to a good start in the ACC?
Fraser: It is really important to keep playing well, just like it was important for us to get off to that good start. We had some matches to start the ACC schedule that we were favored to win. There was a lot of pressure on us to win those matches and we got the job done. That gave us a lot of confidence. Soon we will be playing teams higher than us in the rankings and we will need to use the confidence we have gained so far this season and see if we can knock a few of them off.