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The No. 20 Virginia women’s tennis team is off to the best ACC start in school history with a 3-0 record. The Cavaliers take on a pair of the conference’s elite teams this weekend with a trip to No. 6 Georgia Tech on Saturday and No. 13 Clemson on Sunday. VirginiaSports.com caught up with junior Jennifer Stevens to discuss the strong start to the season and to preview this weekend’s matches.
Question: The team is 10-2 and ranked in the top 20 for the first time in years. How has this season been different than previous seasons?
Stevens: This year’s team is not only a lot younger, but a lot more talented. We have been working extremely hard and we have what Coach Guilbeau calls a “team synergy” now. Everyone is on the same page and is working towards a common goal.
Question: You are 3-0 in the ACC. How important was it to get off to a good start in the conference, especially heading into a portion of the schedule where you are playing a lot of the highly ranked teams in the ACC?
Stevens: It was important for us to pick up the wins against the teams in the conference that are below us in the rankings. Now we are the underdogs and are going to have to fight as hard as we can in every match to get every point.
Question: Does your mentality change when you are playing teams like Georgia Tech and Clemson that are top 15 in the country and are traditionally teams that are in contention for the ACC title?
Stevens: I think it takes some of the pressure off of us. There is a little bit of pressure to play as the favorite, but as the underdog you can play loose. When you play teams like that, you just have to fight as hard as you can in your match to get that point and then see if you can put four points together as a team.
Question: In your first two seasons, you were one of the youngest players on the team. Now, you are one of a few veterans. How has this season been different?
Stevens: I still feel a little young, because I skipped my senior year of high school to come here early, so I am still younger than people in my class. We have so many newcomers that I have to be leader this year. It feels good to be able to steer them in the right direction.
Question: What type of advice have you given them?
Stevens: Just the little things. To keep fighting each match because your teammates are depending on you and that every practice is important to develop as a player. I try to give them positive energy and so far it has worked because they are all playing really well.
Question: As you look forward to the rest of the season, what can this team accomplish?
Stevens: I would love to get into the top 16 by the end of the season and host the first two rounds of the NCAAs. That really wasn’t our goal at the beginning of the year, but now that we have cracked the top 20, it is something we can accomplish.