Tennis Features 
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Tennis Features
During Saturday's NCAA Tournament opener at the Snyder Tennis Center, Virginia's Jarmere Jenkins couldn't find a consistent groove early against Fairleigh Dickinson and the Cavaliers clinched the match before Jenkins locked in fully. UVa coach Brian Boland said afterward that he wasn't worried about the ACC Player of the Year.
Jenkins showed why on Sunday. He dominated at No. 1 singles with a straight sets win that helped propel the Hoos to a 4-0 victory against VCU.
Saturday afternoon proved to be a good one for the Virginia tennis programs. Both teams won NCAA Tournament matches at the Snyder Tennis Center. The men's team cruised past Fairleigh Dickinson 4-0 in first round action, while the women's team took down Tennessee 4-1 to advance to the Sweet 16.
There's something, though probably not one thing, about doubles that just clicks for Virginia senior Michael Shabaz. That's clear from looking at his track record at UVa and beyond. Shabaz, after all, has captured two straight NCAA doubles championships and won the Wimbledon junior boys' doubles title in 2005. All with different partners.
The Virginia men's tennis team wrapped up another successful season with a Final Four appearance this week in the NCAA Tournament. UVa posted a 39-2 record, which included a program-record 36-match winning streak. Check out this EDGE image gallery of the team with 79 photos from the Hoos' NCAA Tournament win against Navy.
ATHENS, Ga. - For Virginia, the 2010 NCAA Tennis Championships offered a new locale but a bitterly similar outcome.
The top-seeded Cavaliers, ranked No. 1 in the country, saw their season come to another frustrating end Monday as No. 5 Southern California took a 4-2 victory in the semifinals of the men's tournament.
Virginia men's tennis coach Brian Boland didn't exactly predict a team National Championship on Sunday afternoon. But, he came surprisingly close. At the very least, he likes this team's chances better than any Cavalier team that has preceded it. Wrapping up their second win of the weekend, the Hoos advanced to the NCAA Tournament's round of 16 with a 4-0 victory against Wake Forest on Sunday.
When Sanam Singh entered the NCAA Singles Tournament three days after USC had bounced the Cavaliers from the team tournament last season, no one expected him to do much. But, Singh blew away his opponents in rounds one and two, and the momentum continued from there as he made it to the semifinal round. The run through the tournament - which Singh called "unbelievable" - gave the Chandigarh, India native a new swagger heading into his junior season.
If you asked the Virginia men's tennis team about Houston Barrick, players and coaches would tell you that he is the emotional leader of the group. It is a sentiment that tickles his parents, Steve and Jan Barrick. "It's funny when people say that, because all through junior tennis, people would think he didn't even have a pulse," Jan Barrick said. As Houston Barrick wraps up his Cavalier playing career this spring, he would be more aptly described as the pulse of the top-ranked team in the nation.
Throughout the past three years, the Virginia men's tennis team has had its fair share of superstars. Even the casual fan could name, or at least recognize, Somdev Devvarman, Dom Inglot, and, more recently, Michael Shabaz. If you have been only a casual follower of coach Brian Boland's successful team, one name might have eluded you thus far. This season, his last as a Cavalier, Lee Singer has stepped into an important role as a player and a leader both on and off the court.
When Michael Shabaz was seven years old, he had an insight. And not one about Power Rangers, Tinker Toys, or how to pack his lunch in the morning. "I realized I had some talent for the game," Shabaz said. The game Shabaz speaks of, of course, is tennis - and he certainly did have talent for it.
With Virginia on the verge of winning its third consecutive National Team Indoors Championship, coach Brian Boland couldn't help but let a grin creep on to his face, which only grew broader as he scanned the a sea of orange and blue on hand at the Boar's Head Sport's Club. Boland said he was "embracing the moment."
And what a moment it was. With a 4-1 victory over Tennessee, the Cavaliers became the first team since the mid-1970s to win three straight National Team Indoors Championships.
After the Virginia men's tennis team lost its first regular season match in nearly three years last Saturday against Kentucky, many followers may have wondered how the squad would bounce back. Cavalier coach Brian Boland, however, ensured reporters Thursday that his team would be fine, even as he completely revamped his doubles line-up for Virginia's opening-round match of the ITA National Team Indoors tournament. The Cavaliers were more than fine - they were utterly dominant in a 4-0 win against Alabama.
Virginia has the honor of hosting the National Team Indoors tournament - which annually features the top 16 teams in the nation - for the first time in school history. The Hoos took home the last two titles in Seattle in 2008 and Chicago in 2009; with a tournament title in Charlottesville, the No. 2 seed Cavaliers would three-peat for the first time since Stanford took home three titles in a row in the mid-1970s. The tournament features eight matches from Friday-Sunday and the final on Monday at noon, all at the Boar's Head Sports Club.
A 30-win season for the third straight season, a doubles team matching a school record, and an NCAA Tournament win. Yes, Friday was a typical day at the office for the Virginia men's tennis team, which cruised past Navy 4-0 in the first round of the NCAA Tournament at the Snyder Tennis Center. The Cavaliers paired the doubles point with singles wins from Sanam Singh, Michael Shabaz, and Drew Courtney to advance.
At this point last season, Virginia tennis coach Brian Boland was pretty confident. Entering Final Four play, his veteran nucleus surrounded by up-and-coming youngsters was a staggering 32-0, having ripped through opponents all season long. But the Hoos "little bit unlucky in the Final Four" and missed out on the title. Lesson learned. Entering the NCAA Tournament this weekend, Boland is plenty aware that anything can happen, even to the most talented of teams.
Led by senior Dom Inglot, the Virginia men's tennis team scored its second, consecutive ITA Indoor Tennis National Championship last month. The Cavaliers completed the task by knocking off No. 3 Georgia. Most recently, the Hoos knocked off in-state rival Virginia Tech to improve to 15-0 on the season. TheSabre.com caught up with Inglot for a Quick Take.
Former Virginia tennis standout Somdev Devvarman's collegiate résumé ranks him arguably as one of the most successful collegiate tennis players of all-time. Consecutive NCAA Singles National Championships. ITA Indoor National Championship. A 158-27-career record, including 88-1 in his final two seasons. The Sabre sat down with Devvarman after his jersey was retired to gain his perspective on his rise through the pro ranks, playing with Andy Roddick, and the state of UVa tennis.
On the night when the Cavaliers retired two-time NCAA singles champion Somdev Devarrman’s jersey, No. 5 Virginia added to the celebration, battling past No. 15 Illinois 6-1. Brian Boland's team jumped out to the early 1-0 lead, sweeping all three doubles matches (8-5, 9-8, 8-5), and then pulled out the match victory with a strong showing in singles.
The postseason guide for Virginia men's tennis states it pretty clearly: Either Somdev Devvarman or Treat Huey now owns every Cavalier career record. The team has won a school-record 30 matches for two straight seasons as well. The last box on the checklist? A National Championship. Devvarman and Huey, along with fellow senior Ted Angelinos, will try to help Virginia accomplish that feat in Tulsa starting on Friday. The dynamic duo is in the spotlight for this Question & Answer session.
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