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State of the Program - Women’s Tennis

Meghan Kelley leads the way for the Cavaliers

Meghan Kelley, standout tennis player Photo by Gordon Chibroski/Portland Press Herald via Getty Images

While the UVA Women’s Tennis team hasn’t found the same successes as the Men’s team, they are still one of the ACC’s best. Head Coach Sara O’Leary just finished her second season as coach of the Cavaliers and after taking over a team that went 11-13 and missed out on the NCAA Tournament, got them back to the postseason both years and improved the team’s win total this season. Given the two-year turnaround, the core of players returning, as well as the overall investment in tennis, Women’s Tennis is a program looking to maintain its lofty perch in the ACC.

UVA Women’s Tennis Five Year Results

Year Record ACC Record; Rank Postseason Result
Year Record ACC Record; Rank Postseason Result
2019 18-9 8-6; Quarterfinals NCAA Second Round
2018 16-9 9-5; Second Round NCAA Second Round
2017 11-13 5-9; Second Round None
2016 19-11 9-5; Semifinals NCAA Quarterfinals
2015 23-6 11-3; ACC CHAMPS!!! NCAA Sweet Sixteen

2019 Recap

2019 Stars: Meghan Kelley, Amber O’Dell, Chloe Gullickson, Sofia Munera

After a solid fall that saw the doubles team of Meghan Kelley and Sofian Munera take down the ITA Atlantic Regional Championship, the Hoos kicked off their season with 1-1 record at the ITA Kickoff weekend taking down #18 Illinois. From there they started ACC play with a bang upsetting #10 Syracuse. On the year the Hoos would go on to knock off three ranked opponents on their way to an 18-9, 8-6 (ACC) record. They knocked off Notre Dame in the ACC Tournament before falling to #3 Duke in the ACC Quarterfinals.

At the NCAA Regionals, the Hoos traveled to South Carolina for the Columbia Regional where they took down in-commonwealth rival Old Dominion before falling to the #4 Gamecocks. Individually, the Hoos were led by Kelley who played #1 singles all year, qualified for the NCAA Tournament, was named Virginia Sports and Information Directors (VaSID) Player of the Year, and earned ITA Atlantic Regional Senior of the Year. It was an impressive year for the senior and the Cavaliers as a whole.

2020 Outlook

Key Returners: Amber O’Dell, Chloe Gullickson, Sofia Munera

In what has become a trend among Virginia programs this summer, the best for these Cavaliers may be ahead. The Hoos only lose two seniors and return six of the seven players who played in this year’s NCAA Tournament. Leading the way is Amber O’Dell. O’Dell player #3 singles for the Cavaliers and earned Rookie of the Year awards from both the VaSID and the ITA Atlantic Region.

Next is Chloe Gullickson who was a VaSID First-Team selection playing at #3. Finally there’s a pair of underclassmen in freshman Sofia Munera and sophomore Vivian Glozman. Munera teamed with Kelley and played in the NCAA Doubles tournament while Glozman played #2 singles and posted a 14-10 record with three wins over nationally ranked players. With this much firepower coming back, the Hoos will look to get back to where they were just five years ago.