The University of Virginia men’s and women’s tennis teams both advanced to the NCAA tournament’s round of 16, according to a May 3 report from VirginiaSports.com. The men’s team defeated Rider and Columbia at the Boar’s Head Resort, while the women’s team beat Saint Francis and Washington.
Both squads will host NCAA super regionals next weekend. The Cavalier men are scheduled to play South Carolina on Friday, with the women set to face LSU on Saturday. For the women’s team, this marks their sixth consecutive appearance in the Sweet Sixteen.
Head coach Sara O’Leary praised captain Melodie Collard for her contributions beyond match wins: “She’s won a lot of matches for us this year, but there’s just so much more that she’s contributed to this team. Just the example that she’s set for all of the younger girls. She always does the right thing. She’s always coming in for extra [work]. She’s probably the fittest person on our team. And she speaks up. She speaks up in meetings, and she sees the best in everybody around her. They can all feel how much she believes in them, and that makes a big difference. She’s meant so much.”
Collard said her role as captain is about encouragement: “I try to remind them every day that they deserve to be on this team, that I’m proud to have them as teammates, and just really raise them up. I think that’s my biggest role as a captain, just remind them that they’re really, really good.”
O’Leary also highlighted unity within her squad: “When they’re out here playing, next to each other, you feel how connected they are,” she said. “You feel how much they support each other… And I think that’s why it wasn’t a surprise seeing them all finish [around] the same time.”
Sophomore Isabelle Lacy described building momentum during Sunday’s match against Washington: “You kind of feel the momentum coming,” Lacy said. “Playing next to [Collard and Genis Salas], they have so much energy… You can kind of feel the noise increasing and everybody getting more excited.”
Looking ahead at hosting another round at home before possible advancement deeper into NCAA competition, O’Leary said: “So it’s just a big team effort,” adding that “we’re really excited about next Saturday.”
