By Jeff White (jwhite@virginia.edu)
VirginiaSports.com

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. — The University of Virginia women’s tennis team is using its off weekend before the start of the NCAA tournament to gather for a much-loved event.

The Cavaliers’ annual awards banquet is Saturday at the Rotunda, where one of the program’s most distinguished alumnae, Cindy Brinker Simmons, will present the award for the team’s most improved player. Brinker Simmons, who lives in Dallas, has done so since early in Sara O’Leary’s tenure as head coach.

“It just felt so fitting with the way she takes on life and has such an amazing attitude about it, no matter what is thrown her way,” said O’Leary, who’s in her seventh season at UVA.

When she played at Virginia, she was Cindy Brinker. That changed when she married Bob Simmons in 1990, but she remains as upbeat and exuberant as when she arrived on Grounds in 1975, not long after the University had gone co-ed.

“She’s the best. I love her,” O’Leary said. “Every time that she comes to Charlottesville, we grab coffee or she’ll come over to our house for dinner. I just think she’s a wonderful person and has a lot of joy and she’s super kind, and I look up to her a lot. She’s accomplished so many amazing things in…

CARY, N.C. – The Virginia women’s tennis team (22-4) suffered a 4-1 loss against North Carolina (22-3) in the final of the 2024 ACC Women’s Tennis Championship on Sunday (April 21) on the indoor courts at the Cary Tennis Park in Cary, N.C.

North Carolina won the doubles point and took a 3-0 lead in the match before grad student Natasha Subhash logged a victory on court three to make it 3-1. North Carolina clinched the victory with a win on court six.

North Carolina opened play by winning on all three doubles courts, with courts one and three finishing almost simultaneously.

Senior Hibah Shaikh showed early resilience for the Cavaliers, bouncing back from her doubles loss to take her first set 6-0 on court two against Elizabeth Scotty. Subhash and juniors Elaine Chervinsky and Mélodie Collard all won their first sets, giving the Cavaliers four of six first sets.

Scotty won her second two sets 6-1, 6-2 to put UNC up 2-0. The Tar Heels added a straight-set win on court four to make it 3-0.

Subhash dropped her second set 6-2 against Carson Tanguilig, but came back in the third set with a 6-3 win to get the Cavaliers on the scoreboard.

Just as Subhash tallied her victory, sophomore Annabelle Xu took her second set 7-5 against No. 7 Fiona Crawley to force a third…

CARY, N.C. – The Virginia women’s tennis team (22-3) won 4-0 against Florida State (16-8) in the semifinals of the 2024 ACC Women’s Tennis Championship on Saturday (April 20) at the Cary Tennis Park in Cary, N.C.

Virginia won the doubles point and singles matches on courts two, three and six to take the match. Grad student Natasha Subhash clinched the victory for the Cavaliers.

Virginia, the No. 2 seed in the championship, will face top-seeded North Carolina (21-3) on Sunday at 2 p.m. in the final. It will stream online on ACCNX.

Senior Sara Ziodato and sophomore Meggie Navarro opened the match with a 6-3 win on the third doubles court. Florida State took the top court 7-5. Court two went to a tiebreaker to decide the point with senior Hibah Shaikh and Subhash winning it 7-2 to give UVA the 1-0 lead.

The Cavaliers took four of six first sets in singles.

Sophomore Mélodie Collard closed out a 6-1, 6-1 victory on court six to give UVA a 2-0 lead minutes after courts four and five had finished their first sets. Shaikh won a break point at deuce on court two to finish a 6-3, 6-0 win to put UVA up 3-0.

Subhash defeated Anna Arkadianou 6-2, 6-2 on court three to secure the victory.

Virginia is vying for its third ACC title and first under head coach Sara…