Cavaliers Open 2020 With Split-Squad Competition On Both Coasts
CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – Members of the No. 20 Virginia women’s tennis team will open 2020 in competition on both coasts this weekend as players will head to the Orlando Invitational in Florida and the National Collegiate Tennis Classic in California. Both tournaments begin on Friday (Jan. 10) and run through Sunday.
One group of four that includes Chloe Gullickson (Palm Beach Gardens, Fla.), Sofia Munera (Pereira, Colombia), Amber O’Dell (New Milford, N.J.) and Natasha Subhash (Fairfax, Va.) will compete at the Orlando Invitational in Orlando, Fla.
The other quartet of Hunter Bleser (New Braunfels, Texas), Camille Favero (Sacramento, Calif.), Vivian Glozman (Bellevue, Wash.) and Rosie Johanson (Vancouver, British Columbia) will compete at the National Collegiate Tennis Classic in Mission Hills, Calif.
ABOUT THE ORLANDO INVITATIONAL
The Orlando Invitational is being played at the USTA National Campus and will also feature players from Auburn, Iowa State, No. 19 Kansas, Missouri, No. 8 NC State, Rice, Texas Tech and No. 13 UCF. There will be a live stream provided by the USTA linked at VirginiaSports.com. Live scoring of the event will not be available.
ABOUT THE NATIONAL COLLEGIATE TENNIS CLASSIC
The National Collegiate Tennis Classic is being played at the Mission Hills Country Club. Live stats and a live stream will not be available for the event. Other teams with players in competition this weekend include Arizona State, Baylor, San Diego, No. 12 Southern California and No. 24 Wake Forest.
CAVALIERS IN THE TEAM RANKINGS
The Cavaliers enter the 2020 season as the No. 20 team in the nation according to the initial poll released by the Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA). Virginia is one of seven teams from the ACC to be ranked in the top 25 nationally. The Cavaliers finished last season as the No. 21 team after advancing to the second round of the NCAA Tournament and posting an 18-9 record.
VIRGINIA PLAYERS IN THE INDIVIDUAL RANKINGS
Three members of the Virginia women’s tennis team enter the 2020 season ranked in the ITA women’s singles rankings. Freshman Natasha Subhash is ranked No. 30 in singles, while redshirt junior Rosie Johanson is ranked No. 35 and sophomore Sofia Munera is ranked No. 78.
A LOOK BACK AT THE FALL
Subhash paced the team with a 12-2 record in the fall that included seven wins over nationally-ranked opponents. She claimed the singles title at the ITA Atlantic Regional while also making runs at the Saint Francis ITA All-American Championship and the Oracle/ITA Masters. Subhash advanced to the semifinals at the Oracle/ITA Masters before falling to then ninth-ranked Jada Hart of UCLA. She then played through qualifying to advance to the main draw before falling in the second-round to then No. 16 Elysia Bolton of UCLA at the All-American Championships.
Johanson went 4-0 in limited action in the fall as she returns from a redshirt season in 2018-19. Among her four victories was a win over then No. 4 Alexa Graham of North Carolina at the Kitty Harrison Invitational. Munera went 9-6 in singles play with five matches against nationally-ranked opponents. O’Dell advanced to the semifinals at the ITA Atlantic Regional on the way to a 9-5 singles record in the fall, while Glozman went 9-4 in singles play.
In doubles action, the duo of Glozman and Gullickson won the Kitty Harrison Invitational. The duo of Munera and O’Dell finished as runners up at the ITA Atlantic Regional and went undefeated at the USTA Fall Ranked Spotlight.
UP NEXT FOR THE CAVALIERS
Virginia will return to action at home next weekend, hosting the first dual match of the season when the Cavaliers face Towson at the Boar’s Head Sports Club on Saturday, Jan. 18. That match is set for a 1 p.m. first serve.