Cavalier Corner

April 2013

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door team titles and has participated in two NCAA Finals over the past three years." Posting a career record of 118-22 in singles matches and an 82-28 doubles mark in three-plus seasons, as of Feb. 28, Jenkins needs just one victory to move into seventh on UVa's all-time career list for wins. Jenkins earned ITA Atlantic Region Freshman of the Year honors in 2010, was selected to the NCAA All-Tournament team in 2011 and has been an All-ACC performer all three years at Virginia. Last season was Jenkins' best thus far, when he went 30‑6 en route to being named the ACC Player of the Year, earning AllAmerica honors and finishing the season ranked No. 6 nationally in both doubles and singles. The most recent success for the two-time Cavalier team captain came in the ITA National Team Indo o r C h a m pionship. Jenkins claimed a victory in the fourth match, staking the Cavaliers to a 3-1 lead with his 6‑2, 6-4 win at No. 1 over Ray Sarmiento. The top-ranked Virginia men's tennis team won its fifth indoor title in six years with a 4-2 victory over second-ranked Southern California. This brings us to USC. The Trojans have eliminated Virginia in the NCAA Tournament in each of the last four seasons on the way to winning four consecutive national championships while the Cavaliers continue searching for their first. "It's no secret that our number one goal is to win an NCAA title," Jenkins affirmed. "This program has achieved everything it can outside of [winning a NCAA championship]. As I look back at the experience of losing three times in close matches, I can't help but think that experience will make the first one that much sweeter. "To accomplish it this year, with this team and this group of guys, I think it wouldn't just be satisfying for us, but for future players and past players to see where the program has come from and where we're headed. There are a lot of projects that Coach Boland has going on, and to kick start those projects off with an NCAA title, after all we've been through [would be satisfying]." When Jenkins closes the book on a special career at Virginia, he is hoping to have an equally successful run as a professional. He says there are things in the works, but right now his primary focus is helping the Hoos win a title. "Professional tennis is a heavy mountain to climb, and I'm trying to take things one step at a time right now. I don't want to get too distracted because my main goal right now is to get this title for this team and then I'll focus on the individual tournaments." "He is a very special kid and someone that I could see impacting a lot of lives in a positive way through his tennis and genuine concern for people off the court," Boland said. "As a senior, it's Jarmere's role to lead our team in preparing for the most successful season in UVa history. "He understands what the goals are, and he also understands what it will take from every guy on a daily basis for us to prepare to the best of our ability for every single match this season." That's what Jenkins plans to do — one mountain at a time. ◆

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