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CORAL GABLES, Fla. The No. 28 Virginia women’s tennis team suffered its first loss of the season Saturday with a 5-2 setback to No. 23 Tennessee in a first round ITA National Indoor qualifying match at the Neil Schiff Tennis Center. After winning the doubles point, the Cavaliers (2-1) were defeated in five of six singles matches by the Lady Vols (3-0).
“I want to give a lot of credit to Tennessee,” said head coach Mark Guilbeau. “They did an outstanding job in singles and their fight and determination was terrific. Those are the things that we need to learn to do better to be successful. The doubles was a bright spot for us, but we need to raise our singles play to that level.”
The Cavaliers jumped out to a 1-0 lead by taking the doubles point. Amanda Rales (Bethesda, Md.) and Neela Vaez (Perrysburg, Ohio) defeated Rosalia Alda and Maria Sorbello 8-3 at No. 2 doubles. At No. 1 doubles, Emily Fraser (Rye, N.Y.) and Jennifer Stevens (Miami, Fla.) downed Caitlin Whoriskey and Zsofia Zubor 8-5 to clinch the opening point.
The Lady Vols rebounded in singles, winning the first set in five of the six matches. They won four of those matches in straight sets and Alda topped Lindsey Hardenbergh (Fairfax Station, Va.) in a third-set superbreaker. The Cavaliers lone singles win came at No. 4 where Rales topped Jennifer Meredith 6-3, 6-4.
Virginia will meet Utah in a consolation match at 10 a.m. Sunday at the Neil Schiff Tennis Center on the campus of the University of Miami. The host Hurricanes and Lady Vols meet Sunday for a berth at the ITA National Team Indoors next month in Madison, Wis.
No. 23 Tennessee 5, No. 28 Virginia 2
Doubles
1. #32 Fraser/Stevens (UVa) def. Whoriskey/Zubor (UT) 8-5
2. Rales/Vaez (UVa) def. Alda/Sorbello (UT) 8-3
3. Meredith/Pluskota (UT) def. Hardenbergh/Yahner (UVa) 8-5
Singles
1. #92 Caitlin Whoriskey (UT) def. #42 Jennifer Stevens (UVa) 6-1, 6-1
2. Natalie Pluskota (UT) def. #82 Emily Fraser (UVa) 6-4, 6-2
3. Rosalia Alda (UT) def. Lindsey Hardenbergh (UVa) 6-4, 4-6, 10-5
4. Amanda Rales (UVa) def. Jennifer Meredith (UT) 6-3, 6-4
5. #77 Samantha Orlin (UT) def. Karoline Steiro (UVa) 6-2, 7-6 (1)
6. Zsofia Zubor (UT) def. Neela Vaez (UVa) 6-3, 6-2
Order of Finish
Doubles: 2,1,3
Singles: 1,6,2,4,5,3