Cavalier Corner is the publication just for UVa sports fans!
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/90990
Under Guilbeau's tutelage, fourth-year Lindsey Hardenbergh became UVa's first All- American singles player. PHOTO BY MATT RILEY/COURTESY UVA SENIORS LOOK TO FINISH STRONG winning streak last season and competed in both the NCAA Singles Championship (reaching the round of 16 after posting the first two tournament singles wins in UVa history) and NCAA Doubles Championship. Prior to this season, she was one of four Cavaliers to receive a Weaver-James-Corrigan scholarship for Harbenbergh, who was ranked No. 28 in the nation as of Feb. 28, set a school record with a 17-match " graduate-level studies. Hardenbergh has a double major in Spanish and English plus a minor in leadership. But she isn't inclined to put away her racket after the season ends. "What I'd like to do is play professionally, but I'm still trying to figure that out, want to be able to say I did it. The majority of my career has been given to college tennis, but what I need is more of a closure. "I have other interests, but haven't had time to develop them because of the time I've devoted to " Hardenbergh said. "I tennis. I might want to teach English. I might want to be bilingual, but I don't know how long that would take. Week two times this season, was the nation's No. 17-ranked singles player and was part of the country's No. 11 double tandem, along with second-year Li Xi, as of Feb. 28. In 2011, she was ranked as high as 41st nationally in singles and 10th nationally in doubles while accomplishments. "I had little awareness of tennis in terms of what it would be like and to be part of a team that achieves something great. That UVa could achieve even something greater this year is evidenced by the fact that it was rated a school-record No. 6 nationally in the Feb. 28 Intercollegiate Tennis Association rankings. "When you're in a competitive environment, it's easy to get caught up in a roller coaster, " "It's important not to forget you're at a place like Virginia and to be part of a team. Never forget what you've been given and never take anything for granted. "It's easy when you're in a competitive environment to get caught in the ups and downs. You must take a step back and realize where you are because it goes by so fast. " 14 ◆ CAVALIER CORNER — Mike Scandura " Fraser said. Hardenbergh's teammate, Emily Fraser, already had been voted the ACC Women's Tennis Player of the " teamed up with third-year Hana Tomijanoivc to set a school record for doubles victories (37). "Prior to coming to Virginia, I had a skewed view of what it was like being on a team and how a team works," Fraser admitted. "Everything I imagined has been surpassed — and not just the tennis target on her back whenever she steps onto a tennis court. That doesn't faze the woman who last year became UVa's first All-American singles player. "I think, mentally, that's something you're going to have to work through," Hardenbergh said. "Ulti- Given the success Lindsey Hardenbergh has enjoyed at Virginia, it's natural to expect she's wearing a mately, when you're in the right mindset, it doesn't matter who wants to beat you. "Ultimately, it comes down to how hard you work in practice. I want to beat other girls just as badly as they want to beat me. "You have to be careful and not change strategies that seem natural. Like in many walks of life, you have to trust the kids. I don't like to use the word sacrifice. I'd rather be of a mind that they're in this be- cause they want to be in it. You're really fortunate when you have some great leaders that make this possible." Hardenbergh, who referenced her ability to lead a team, has improved her game from a strategic standpoint due in large part to the coaching and teaching she's received from Guilbeau. "He's taken the randomness out of my game," she said. "He's very aware. He gets very specific regarding what I get out of a set. He's taught me more specific strategic patterns. "Before I came here, I didn't have an awareness of strategy and how to move the other player around." *** While Guilbeau, a native of Lafayette, La., may not have been born with a racket and ball in his cradle it was close. "I always was around sports and started coaching tennis when I was 15 years old, af- ter tennis or cross country practice [in high school]," he recalled. "The pro I worked for at the Jennings Mill Country Club [in Athens, Ga.] had a stroke one day and they needed somebody to take over and teach from 5 to 11 p.m., which I did. "But in high school, I learned to pay ex- treme attention in class. You can do a lot of work in class." Guilbeau earned a bachelor's degree from Southwestern Louisiana in 1988 in finance and a master's degree in health promotion and behavior from Georgia in 1992. Given his degree in finance, might a career on Wall Street have been a consideration? "It wasn't really close," Guilbeau said. "The whole intention behind finance was to