Cavs’ Courtney doesn’t miss a beat

As a high school player, Drew Courtney was about as dominating as you can possibly be. The Clifton native was a three-time state singles champion, four-time doubles champ, and led Robinson High School to three team state championships.

At the college level, Courtney has picked right up where he left off.

So far this season, the Virginia freshman has posted an 11-1 record, playing mainly at No. 6 singles for coach Brian Boland’s bunch.

“He’s taken advantage of every opportunity that has been in front of him — in terms of the coaching and working with his teammates, and making not only himself but everyone else around him better,” Boland said. “He’s such a tremendous competitor. He comes out every day with a mission to improve and become a better tennis player.”

Tonight, Courtney looks to continue his impressive first season when top-ranked Virginia (14-0) hosts No. 31 Virginia Tech (6-1) at Boar’s Head Sports Club (admission is free).

Courtney, a sinewy 6-foot-5 player who grew up playing basketball before switching to tennis around the eighth grade, has shown a surprising ability to perform in the clutch for someone so young.

At the recent ITA National Indoor Championships in Chicago, it was Courtney who clinched Virginia’s second straight title. Courtney lost the first set of his match to Georgia, 6-0, before coming back to win in the next two.

“The third set was just a fight,” said the 19-year-old. “It was just a battle. Luckily, I came out on top, and it was probably one of the most special experiences of my life.”

Courtney called the feeling he had on match point versus the Bulldogs “unreal.”

“When I hit the first serve, I knew he wasn’t going to be able to get it back,” Courtney recalled. “I immediately dropped my racket and everyone just rushed the court. It was the coolest feeling ever — especially to do it against a team like Georgia who we’ve had some tough losses to.”

Boland, who calls Courtney an “all-court player” — he doesn’t have to rely on any one particular facet of his game — feels the freshman certainly has the ability to play at the top of his lineup someday.

“I’ve seen every aspect of Drew’s game develop over the course of the last six months,” Boland said, “and I think the best is in front of him. His potential is enormous.”

Courtney is certainly glad he wound up at Virginia.

“It couldn’t be going any better,” Courtney said. “It’s just been amazing. It’s an amazing group of kids. The hard work we’ve been putting in has really been showing. I couldn’t ask for more.”