Virginia Cutters lean on veteran core in Cleveland bounce-back bid

Virginia’s veteran-heavy roster needed a clean answer after Kansas City, and Ryan Windsor provided the clearest one. He finished second in Pro Singles at the Cleveland Signature Open after also taking second in Pro Singles at Kansas City, a strong individual run that gave the Cutters a reason to believe their early-season reset could start with familiar hands. The harder question is whether that form can be translated into a team result, not just another deep singles run.

Devon Harbaugh remains the anchor for that push. The captain is one of the most decorated players in the sport, with five ACL titles and a reputation for strategic, accurate play that gives a roster structure when the bracket tightens. Noah Almanza adds another layer of veteran edge, with the move to Colorado appearing to sharpen his focus and re-energize his game. For a team trying to shake off a slow opening, that kind of steadying presence matters as much as raw shot-making.

Clayton Kennedy is the piece that makes the roster feel less like a reunion tour and more like a group with a ceiling. The second-year pro is the co-captain and has been framed as a rising player with improving results and real upside, while Tanner Halbert brings one of the best airmails in the game. Kansas City showed both the promise and the problem for that middle group: Kennedy and Halbert both finished tied for 41st in Pro Singles, a reminder that the Cutters cannot rely on one veteran to carry the load every week.

That is why Cleveland carried more weight than a routine stop. The ACL’s 2025-26 Pro Teams season opened March 20 at the Kansas City Signature Open, with rosters built from six to 10 players and each franchise holding two designated players before the draft. At Signature Opens, the winning team earns an automatic berth to the ACL Pro Teams Playoffs at the World Championships in Rock Hill, South Carolina, set for July 27-August 2, 2026. In that structure, one stumble can quickly become a standings problem.

Harbaugh’s recent doubles form offered one more reason for optimism. He and Jacob Trzcienski finished third in the bracket in Tier 1 Doubles at the Rhode Island Open, another sign that Harbaugh is still producing in pressure settings even outside the team format. The Virginia Cutters have the experience, the shot repertoire and the depth to turn quickly. Cleveland was the first real checkpoint, and the gap between a correction and another slow start now feels thin.