Virginia Men's Tennis Begins Campaign for Third-Straight National Championship

As two-time defending national champions, there's no getting around the fact that the Cavaliers have a huge target on their backs this season. So while the message from head coach Andres Pedroso has been that what happened in 2022 and 2023 has no bearing on what will happen in 2024, there's no question that the Virginia men's tennis team is expecting to get the best shot from every opponent on its schedule this spring.

"It's for sure that every team will play their best against us," said senior Chris Rodesch, who was the MVP of both the NCAA and ACC Championships last season. "But we also know that we've been in these situations before. Last year we struggled maybe a bit with the target on our back with being number one, but I think this year we have that experience again and maybe that will also help us to even play better in January and February."

The two-time reigning champs enter this season ranked No. 1 in the ITA team rankings and with good reason, as the Cavaliers return all but two of their key contributors from the 2023 roster. UVA lost Ryan Goetz and William Woodall, but returns an experienced and talented quartet of seniors in Rodesch, Iñaki Montes, Alexander Kiefer, and Jeffrey von der Schulenburg, who tied for the team lead with 31 singles victories last year.

"Every year is a new year. I know we won the last two years, but that's in the past," said von der Schulenburg. "So I think we're just putting all that aside now and just starting from scratch, but knowing that teams will show up, so we have to be playing our best for every match."

Virginia will be leaning heavily on the veteran experience of those four players, who have put this program back on top of the collegiate tennis world. But to Pedroso, the senior class means so much more than the remarkable on-court achievements of the last two years.

"These guys have been incredible for the culture, mainly. They're just really good people, people of character," Pedroso said. "They work hard, they love tennis, they compete super hard, they love this place. So they're gonna be missed after this semester. I'm gonna enjoy every last day with them. And I know they're excited and they want to finish strong."

Rodesch, von der Schulenburg, Montes, and Kiefer will spearhead the Cavaliers' efforts to defend their crown this season, but they will also be depended on for leadership.

"They've been through it all, so that's such a huge edge because no matter what comes our way this semester, they will have experience in that situation," said Pedroso. "And they will be able to draw from it and tell stories to the younger guys about it, which I think gives the whole team confidence."

In addition to the returning senior class, Virginia brings back sophomore Mans Dahlberg, who is looking to build on a strong freshman campaign that saw him go 16-5 in singles and 4-0 in the NCAA Championship. UVA also added two graduate transfers in Edoardo Graziani (Penn) and James Hopper (Case Western Reserve). Graziani was the 2022 Ivy League Player of the Year and was Penn's No. 1 player in singles and doubles for the last three seasons and Hopper helped Case Western Reserve win the NCAA Division III team title and is a four-time All-American.

But having an experienced roster isn't all that uncommon in college tennis or collegiate athletics these days, something that certainly isn't lost on Pedroso.

"I think every year we're just cleaning the slate and starting over. There's a lot of good teams in college tennis with the transfer portal and the fifth year," said Pedroso. "It's a really competitive college tennis scene, so going into the season thinking you're the best team in the country is probably a recipe for disaster. So we are cleaning the slate, staying humble, taking it a day at a time, and giving everybody our full respect."

One area where the Cavaliers do feel they have an advantage is in team chemistry, having so many returners who have won it all not once, but twice, and recognizing that chemistry played a big role in their postseason success.

"I think the chemistry is the most important," said von der Schulenburg. "There's great tennis players out there on every team. And in the end, it's really the team chemistry that counts. You have to be good at tennis to win, don't get me wrong, but it's that tiny edge that makes the difference."

Virginia certainly had that tiny edge in each of the last two seasons, as the Cavaliers came away with the national title despite being an underdog entering the NCAA Championships both times. UVA won the 2022 NCAA Championship as the No. 7 seed and then defended that title in 2023 as the No. 5 seed. Pedroso and the Cavaliers believe that their ability to play tennis, an individual-based sport, as a team was the difference in those runs.

"It is an individual sport, but it's played as a team," Pedroso said. "Each court feels what's happening on the other court. And so body language, self talk, just how they look, their energy, whether they're cheering on the team or not, what's happening on the sidelines - all the pieces matter. So they not only practice that in matches, but when they're off the court, they spend a lot of time with each other so they can really be close and get to know each other and understand each other. And that bond, they value that tremendously."

Virginia opens the 2024 men's tennis season on Saturday, as the Cavaliers host Liberty and James Madison at the Virginia Tennis Center at Boar's Head Sports Club. But the season ramps up quickly after that with big-time ranked matchups at No. 3 Texas in Austin next Thursday and then back at home against No. 5 South Carolina next Sunday.

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