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CARY, N.C. – The No. 27 Virginia women’s tennis team opened play at the 2009 ACC Tennis Tournament with a 4-1 victory over Boston College Thursday at the Cary Tennis Park. The Cavaliers improve to 13-8 overall with the win and will meet third-ranked Duke in the quarterfinals Friday.
“This is the type of start you are looking for in a tournament like this,” said Virginia head coach Mark Guilbeau. “Give Boston College a lot of credit, as both teams played at a much higher level than when we played in the regular season. That is particularly impressive for teams that haven’t had a chance to play a lot outdoors. Our team had great focus today and it took our best to get the job done.”
Virginia took a 1-0 lead by winning the doubles point. Emily Fraser (Rye, N.Y.) and Jennifer Stevens (Miami, Fla.) got the Cavaliers started with an 8-2 win at No. 1 over Lauren Cash and Dasha Cherkasov. Amanda Rales (Bethesda, Md.) and Maggie Yahner (Las Vegas, Nev.) clinched the opening point with an 8-3 win over Alina Sullivan and Katarina Gajic at No. 2 doubles.
In singles, the Cavaliers extended their lead to 2-0 as Stevens scored a 6-1, 6-3 win over Cash at the No. 2 position. Seconds later, the score became 3-0 when Rales completed a 6-0, 6-4 win at No. 3 over Gajic. After the Eagles got on the board with Brittany Delaney’s win over Neela Vaez (Perrysburg, Ohio) at No. 6, Yahner clinched the match with her 6-1, 7-5 win over Katharine Attwell at No. 5. Fraser and Lindsey Hardenbergh (Fairfax Station, Va.) were both leading in their singles matches when they were abandoned.
“I want to give a lot of credit to the top half of our lineup,” said Guilbeau. “That was the best I have seen Jenny and Amanda play all season. Emily had a tough match at No. 1, but was battling and I know would have pulled it out. At the bottom, I was so happy that Maggie was the one who clinched it. She deserved that opportunity. I was also proud of Lindsey for fighting off a tough start and turning her match around.”
The Cavaliers will play Duke in the quarterfinals on Friday. That match is slated for noon at the Cary Tennis Park.
“Duke will be a tough matchup for us,” said Guilbeau. “Any time you are in the ACC quarterfinals, you are going to play a quality opponent. When we played them in the regular season, the match was a lot closer than the 7-0 final score. We had some opportunities that we didn’t capitalize on. We just need to take it one match at a time and see what happens.”
No. 27 Virginia 4, Boston College 1
Doubles
1. #44 Fraser/Stevens (UVa) def. Cash/Cherkasov (BC) 8-2
2. Rales/Yahner (UVa) def. Sullivan/Gajic (BC) 8-3
3. Hardenbergh/Vaez (UVa) vs. Attwell/Krasnopolsky (BC) 4-4 DNF
Singles
1. #87 Emily Fraser (UVa) led Lana Krasnopolsky (BC) 7-6(3), 2-2 DNF
2. #97 Jennifer Stevens (UVa) def. Lauren Cash (BC) 6-1, 6-3
3. Amanda Rales (UVa) def. Katarina Gajic (BC) 6-0, 6-4
4. Lindsey Hardenbergh (UVa) led Alina Sullivan (BC) 2-6, 6-0, 2-0 DNF
5. Maggie Yahner (UVa) def. Katharine Attwell (BC) 6-1, 7-5
6. Brittany Delaney (BC) def. Neela Vaez (UVa) 6-3, 6-2
Order of Finish:
Doubles: 1,2
Singles: 2,3,6,5