Women's Tennis Falls to Duke 4-1 in NCAA Second Round

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CHARLOTTESVILLE – The Virginia women’s tennis team suffered a 4-1 loss to No. 10 Duke Saturday afternoon in a second round NCAA Tournament match at the Snyder Tennis Center. The Cavaliers conclude the season with a 15-10 record, while the Blue Devils (21-7) advance to the round of 16.

The Blue Devils, the reigning NCAA Champions, took an early lead by winning the doubles point. Elizabeth Plotkin and Reka Zsilinszka topped Lindsey Hardenbergh (Fairfax Station, Va.) and Maria Fuccillo (Rockville, Md.) 8-2 at No. 3 doubles before Ellah Nze and Amanda Granson downed Hana Tomljanovic (Boca Raton, Fla.) and Katie Gater (Dunblane, Scotland) 8-3 at No. 1.

In singles, Duke doubled its lead as Mary Clayton topped Fuccillo at the No. 6 position. Emily Fraser (Rye, N.Y.) got the Cavaliers to within one point at 2-1 as she completed a 6-2, 6-3 win over Plotkin at No. 2. The Blue Devils got wins at No. 1, where Nze topped Hardenbergh, and at No. 4, where Granson downed Tomljanovic, to complete the 4-1 victory.

“This match was closer than the final score,” said Guilbeau. “We were up a set at No. 3 and battling in the third set at No. 5 in the matches that were stopped. But the reality is that we have had a lot of close matches this season and haven’t won many of them. Even in losing, I feel good about this group because of the character and desire they have shown. We now need to be able to take that next step as a program where we are hosting this event as a seed and advancing to the round of 16.”

The season will continue for one Cavalier player later this month. Hardenbergh will compete in the NCAA Singles Championship, which begins May 26 in Athens, Ga.

No. 10 Duke 4, No. 27 Virginia 1

Doubles:
1. #32 Nze/Granson (Duke) def. Tomljanovic/Gater (UVa) 8-3
2. Fraser/Vierra (UVa) led #38 Gorny/Clayton (Duke) 5-3 DNF
3. #73 Plotkin/Zsilinszka (Duke) def. Hardenbergh/Fuccillo (UVa) 8-2

Singles:
1. #47 Ellah Nze (Duke) def. #57 Lindsey Hardenbergh (UVa) 6-2, 6-3
2. Emily Fraser (UVa) def. #81 Elizabeth Plotkin (Duke) 6-2, 6-3
3. Erin Vierra (UVa) led #34 Reka Zsilinszka (Duke) 7-5, 0-1 DNF
4. Amanda Granson (Duke) def. Hana Tomljanovic (UVa) 6-3, 6-4
5. Katie Gater (UVa) vs. Monica Gorny (Duke) 6-3, 3-6, 2-2 DNF
6. Mary Clayton (Duke) def. Maria Fuccillo (UVa) 6-2, 6-0

Order of Finish:
Doubles: 3,1
Singles: 6,2,1,4