Virginia Women's Tennis Individuals Fall at NCAA Championships

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STANFORD, Calif. – The Virginia women’s tennis team’s historic season came to an end on Friday during day three of the NCAA Individual Championships at the Taube Tennis Center. Lindsey Hardenbergh (Fairfax Station, Va.) lost in the singles round of 16, while Emily Fraser (Rye, N.Y.) and Hana Tomljanovic (Boca Raton, Fla.) lost in the doubles round of 16.

Hardenbergh suffered a 6-2, 6-3 loss to Nina Secerbegovic of Baylor in the singles round of 16. In the first set, Secerbegovic broke Hardenbergh’s serve in the first game of the match, and later for a second time en route to taking it 6-2. She broke Hardenbergh’s serve again in the first game of the second set, but the Cavalier broke back to make the score 2-2. After Hardenbergh held for a 3-2 lead, Secerbegovic won the final four games of the match to close out the victory. Hardenbergh concludes the season with a 42-9 singles record, setting a new school record for wins in a season. By reaching the NCAA round of 16, she becomes the first Cavalier women’s tennis All-American.

In doubles, Fraser and Tomljanovic lost 6-4, 6-4 to Chelsey Gullickson and Kate Fuller of Georgia in the round of 16. In the first set, the teams remained even until the Bulldog duo capitalized on a late break and served out the first set. The Georgia team built a 5-1 lead in the second set before the Cavalier duo won three games to close to 5-4. Gullickson was able to serve out the match in the next game to give the Bulldog team the victory.

The Cavaliers made history in 2011 with a school record 20 wins and the program’s first trip to the NCAA Team Championship Round of 16. This week, Hardenbergh became the first Virginia women’s player to win a NCAA Singles Championship match and become an All-American. Every player on the roster has eligibility remaining for next season.