Virginia coach Brian Boland's team is 12-1 this season.

The Virginia men's tennis team is enjoying a brief break from matches this week as UVa's Spring Break takes place on the calendar. The short respite from competition is well deserved at this point in the season - the Cavaliers have posted a 12-1 mark to date, including a doubleheader sweep of Old Dominion and Maryland last week.

Coach Brian Boland, who is pleased with the fast start to the season, knows some tough challenges still remain. In addition to the bulk of the ACC slate, the Hoos also travel to Baylor and Texas for matches. Of course, tough competition is a given with this UVa program - Boland answers a question about the scheduling and more in this Q&A sessions with Sabre tennis fans.

Question 1 (WahooFla) Recap: How do you motivate ALL of your players to keep pushing themselves when you have as much depth as you do?

Coach Boland: Wahoo Florida, thank you for the question. I very much appreciate the kind words about the job me and my staff our doing. Let me turn that around by saying it is enthusiastic fans like you who my players love playing for. In response to your question, I spend a lot of time talking to the players about controlling what they can, enjoying the process, and doing everything they can each day to improve themselves and good things will come their way. It is one thing to get an opportunity, but it is another to be ready for it. I speak a lot about the job Tom Brady did when his opportunity to came to start instead of Drew Bledsoe. The same can be said for a former Wahoo Tiki Barber. I often remind my players of these types of examples and being ready for your opportunity.

When Lee Singer was provided an opportunity this year because of an injury to another player, he was ready for it. I was also very proud of the way Nick Meros handled himself when put in at the last minute against #19 Boise State. We also spend a great deal of extra time on the courts with these guys whenever possible. I know that each one of the players you mentioned has the ability and work ethic to play a more substantial role in the future but in order to have that opportunity they need to do everything they can to make themselves and the team better. We are extremely fortunate to have these young men in the program as they work extremely hard to make themselves and Virginia tennis the best it can be. I am confident that despite the lack of playing time this year the players you mentioned are all in for the long haul and love being Hoos.

Question 2 (KtownHoo) Recap: How many players travel to matches? Are there rules for this in place by UVa, the ACC, or the NCAA?

Coach Boland: KtownHoo, thank you for your question. We generally carry 8 players on the traveling squad. I would bring more but I do not like anyone below #8 on the team to miss school or take time away from working on their game when they are not going to play. For special circumstances, I may bring more than 8 players but that is unlikely. You can travel 8 players to the NCAA Championships so I try to stick with an 8 player travel squad. In the ACC you can travel 10. I brought 8 to the national indoors and will continue to only bring 8 unless circumstances change.

Question 3 (CT Wahoo) Recap: What non-conference opponents will return on the schedule next year? Have you/UVa made any attempt to schedule a home and home series with an elite SEC team (Georgia, Florida, etc.)?

Coach Boland: CT Wahoo, I have no intention of making our schedule less competitive in the future. I strongly believe in this formula and have absolutely no regrets. Last year, we played our best match in the Sweet 16 against Miami, who we had lost to in early April. The team just got better and better because of what we had to deal with throughout the year. The 2006 team was extremely fit and playing well enough to win a national title. Unfortunately, we had to go indoors against Georgia but those are the type of things we have no control over.

I have only talked to Florida and Ohio State University at this point as schedule additions in the future about a home and home series but we have not scheduled anything yet and do not plan to do so for 2008. We are playing pretty much the same schools in 2008 but have added Kentucky as they have agreed to two years in a row. We are also hosting the Mideast Regional and the Virginia State Open in 2007 as well as the other fall events we hosted this past year. In 2008, we are planning to host the national indoor individuals and hoping to host the team indoor in the future. Hosting these events will enable us to bring a lot of exciting tennis to UVa.

Question 4 (HooSC) Recap: Can you talk about Somdev's Davis Cup situation and his future in Davis Cup (would he be wanted for their April match for example)? Did not playing in the Davis Cup on clay in another country maybe help him/your team at the National Indoor?

Coach Boland: HooSC, I will always support Somdev playing Davis Cup if he gets called upon. As many of you know he was planning to play in February. He flew up to New York and spent two days trying to get the proper documentation without success so he had to come home. I know he was extremely disappointed. Somdev knows that I will always support him playing Davis Cup.

The only match we would have missed him for was Michigan and it is hard to say how his travels would have affected him for National Indoors. Somdev does recover extremely fast and he is a tough young man so I cannot gauge how much it would have affected him. But it is safe to say that it would not have taken him as long as most players. We have not discussed any future possibilities.

Question 5 (CharlestonSC) Recap: Coach, which of the younger players - freshmen and sophomores - do you foresee improving their game, or having to improve their game in order for us to remain competitive as a national contender?

Coach Boland: CharlestonSC, thank you for the question. I fully expect Houston Barrick, Lee Singer, and Dominic Inglot to continue to improve and contribute. When Treat Huey and Somdev Devvarman were first years, it took them a little time as well. I rarely ever take a recruit and think in terms of him replacing or filling in for players like Somdev and Treat immediately. I need to expect Houston, Dom, and Lee to replace Somdev and Treat and bring in recruits that can be where Houston, Dom, and Lee are now as first years. Development is a process and it takes time.

I could not be more pleased with these three young men as they are improving and developing at a rapid rate. However, there are exceptions to this rule and you never know when a first year can come in and play #1 or #2 right away.

I also believe that Milo Johnson has a ton of talent. He is working hard and improving with each day. He is a special talent and I am excited about what the future could hold for him. Nick Meros is finally fully healthy for the first time in his collegiate career and that is a huge plus for our program. He has a great work ethic and I am excited about how he is coming along. Leif Sunderland, a transfer from UCLA, is another player that just works so hard and whatever he can get out of his ability, he will maximize. He loves the game and works hard with each day to improve. He is a great addition and a wonderful young man.

I am really proud to have such a strong nucleus of young guys on the team which will provide us a foundation for years to come.