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The Virginia men’s tennis team completed its second consecutive undefeated regular season last week. The top-ranked Cavaliers (26-0) travel to Cary, N.C. this week for the ACC Tournament, looking for their third consecutive title. VirginiaSports.com caught up with senior Dominic Inglot to look back at the regular season and preview the tournament.
Question: Last week the team completed its second straight undefeated regular season. What does that accomplishment mean to the team?
Inglot: It means a lot. We have trained very hard and have earned this success. After losing Somdev (Devvarman), Treat (Huey) and Teddy (Angelinos) last year, I don’t think a lot of people thought we could go undefeated again. We are proud of the accomplishment and it gives us a lot of confidence as we go into the postseason.
Question: You mention losing Somdev and Treat. How has this year been different for you having moved up to playing No. 1 in the lineup?
Inglot: It is different. We used to have those seniors to look up to for leadership. Now that responsibility has fallen to Houston (Barrick) and myself. In some sense, there is some added pressure because you feel like you need to lead by example. In terms of playing No. 1, you know that every match you are going to get a tough match playing the other team’s best player. You have to be ready to fight every point of every match. I don’t know if you could ever fill the shoes of Somdev, but you have to give it your all every match.
Question: You and Michael Shabaz have recently moved up to the No. 1 doubles spot. What has been the key to your doubles success this year as a team?
Inglot: Last year we started playing together late in the season and had some success, I think we only lost one match. I think our games complement each other well. This year, we have had more opportunities to play as a team and that has only helped. We started the year at No. 2, were successful there, and given a chance to play No. 1 and have continued to play well.
Question: How does having another top-15 doubles team in Houston Barrick and Sanam Singh on the roster help both teams develop by playing each other in practice?
Inglot: That is huge. Houston and Sanam have been playing such good tennis and their ranking shows that. It is good to have a team like that to see in practice every day. They are as good as any team we will play in a match, so that experience in practice really prepares us well.
Question: The week is the ACC Tournament. In your three years at Virginia, you have won three undefeated regular season titles and two ACC Tournament titles. What would it mean to you to finish your ACC career with another ACC title?
Inglot: It would mean a lot. When people come into college that is what you dream about, winning championships. That was one of the major reasons why I came to Virginia, to have an opportunity to have this level of success. It would be a nice way to finish off my ACC career at Virginia, to complete an undefeated career in the league. That is where our focus is right now.
Question: Looking ahead to the tournament, there are some teams in the ACC like Miami, Florida State and Duke that gave you close, 4-3 matches in the regular season. What do you need to do to be successful this week, especially against some of the teams that gave you some close matches earlier in the year?
Inglot: There are a lot of great teams in the ACC and we know that we are going to get everyone’s best shot. At times I thought we might have had a little bit of a lull during the regular season, but I think we are back on track. Last week we had a pair of good 6-1 wins on the road. We are excited for the tournament. Any time you are playing for a championship, you get excited and play at an even higher level.