No. 7 Virginia Opens Dual Match Season with a Saturday Doubleheader

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. –  The No. 7 Virginia women’s tennis team opens the 2022 campaign by hosting two dual matches on Saturday, Jan. 14 at the indoor courts at the Boar’s Head Sports Club. The Cavaliers start the day with a 10:00 a.m. match against Marshall and finish with a 4:30 p.m. contest against Longwood.

Marshall and Longwood will also play one another in a neutral-site contest at 1:30 p.m.

Please note that the projected start time for UVA’s second match has been pushed back half an hour from its originally scheduled time.

MATCH INFORMATION

• Live streaming and live scoring will be available for the matches with links for both are posted on VirginiaSports.com
• Fans will be required to wear a mask while attending the matches in person

NOTING THE CAVALIERS

• The Cavaliers’ advanced to the NCAA Round of 16 last season
• The team starts the year ranked No. 7 in the ITA team rankings
• It is the fifth time in program history the team will start the year ranked in the top-10. Last year’s squad was No. 10 in the preseason rankings
• Natasha Subhash led the Cavaliers in singles victories in the fall with 10. She repeated as the ITA Atlantic Regional singles champion
• Subhash was a 2021 ITA All-American in both singles and doubles, just the second Cavalier in program history to be named both in the same season
• Sophomore Hibah Shaikh and freshman Melodie Collard were the runners-up in doubles at the ITA Atlantic Regional. They also were the runner-up in doubles in the consolation bracket of the ITA Fall National Championships. Shaikh tallied nine doubles wins while Collard had 11
• Freshman Elaine Chervinsky was the singles runner-up at the ITA Atlantic Regional, falling to Subhash in the final. She tallied nine singles victories in the fall
• 2021 NCAA Singles Champion Emma Navarro is back for her sophomore season with the Cavaliers. Navarro was the No. 1 player in the preseason ITA rankings. After playing only one collegiate match in the fall, she enters the spring unranked. Navarro set the program record for winning percentage last season, going 25-1 in singles (96.1 percent)
• 2021 Doubles All-American Sofia Munera returns for her senior season. Munera saw limited action in the fall, but still managed to post a 5-2 mark in doubles
• Munera is joined by Amber O’Dell as a veteran leader on the team. O’Dell has been a steady presence in the Cavaliers’ lineup for the past three years, tallying 31 singles victories in dual matches and 25 in doubles duals

NOTING THE OPPONENTS

• Marshall finished last season with a 7-8 mark and advanced to the second round of the 2021 Conference USA Women’s Tennis Championship
• The Herd returned seven student-athletes from last year’s roster while adding four freshmen
• Virginia is 13-1 all-time against the Herd. Marshall picked up a 6-1 victory in Charlottesville in 2008
• Longwood was 3-12 last season with an 0-6 mark in the Big South
• This is the second-ever meeting between Virginia and Longwood and the first since 1974. UVA won the first meeting

ON THE HORIZON

• The Cavaliers will play one more tune-up ahead of ITA Kickoff Weekend when they host Richmond on Friday, Jan. 21 at 3 p.m.