Women's Tennis Edged By Baylor to Conclude NTI

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CHARLOTTESVILLE – The ninth-ranked Virginia women’s tennis team concluded play at the 2012 ITA National Team Indoor Championships with a 4-2 loss to No. 5 Baylor in a consolation match on Sunday night at the Boar’s Head Sports Club. The Cavaliers fell to 6-2 on the season with the loss, while the Bears improved to 11-2.

“This was another tough match against a quality opponent,” said head coach Mark Guilbeau. “We leave this tournament knowing how strong these teams are and we are right there with them. Even though we went 1-2 this weekend, we are playing great tennis. We have made progress. We are better than we were at the start of the season. Now the challenge is to find a way to take that next step and raise our game to the next level, and we are fully capable of doing that.”

The Cavaliers opened the match by winning the doubles point for the third time in the tournament. Emily Fraser (Rye, N.Y.) and Li Xi (Kunming, China) gave Virginia the early advantage with an 8-0 win at No. 1 over Diana Nakic and Nicole Kosakowski. Maria Fuccillo (Rockville, Md.) and Lindsey Hardenbergh (Fairfax Station, Va.) downed Ema Burgic and Sona Novakova 8-2 at No. 3 to clinch the opening point.

Baylor rallied in singles as Jordaan Sanford defeated Hana Tomljanovic (Boca Raton, Fla,) at No. 4 and Novakova topped Xi at No. 3 to give the Bears a 2-1 lead. Erin Vierra’s (Norwell, Mass.) 6-0, 6-1 win at No. 6 over Megan Horter pulled the Cavaliers even at 2-2. Baylor won close second sets to close out a pair of wins and clinch the victory with Nina Secerbegovic topping Hardenbergh at No. 2 and Burgic edging Caryssa Peretz (Cherry Hill, N.J.) at No. 5.

The tournament will conclude on Monday with the championship match. No. 3 Duke and No. 4 UCLA will meet at 11 a.m. at the Boar’s Head Sports Club for the title. Admission is free.

#5 BAYLOR 4, #9 VIRGINIA 2

Doubles:
1. Fraser/Xi (UVa) def. Nakic/Kosakowski (BU) 8-0
2. Horter/Secerbegovic (BU) led Tomljanovic/Vierra (UVa) 6-1 DNF
3. Fuccillo/Hardenbergh (UVa) def. Burgic/Novakova (BU) 8-2

Singles:
1. #29 Emily Fraser (UVa) led #14 Diana Nakic (BU) 3-6, 6-3, 6-5 DNF
2. Nina Secerbegovic (BU) def. #30 Lindsey Hardenbergh (UVa) 6-2, 7-5
3. Sona Novakova (BU) def. Li Xi (UVa) 7-5, 6-2
4. Jordaan Sanford (BU) def. #85 Hana Tomljanovic (UVa) 6-3, 6-1
5. Ema Burgic (BU) def. #89 Caryssa Peretz (UVa) 6-1, 7-6(3)
6. #75 Erin Vierra (UVa) def. Megan Horter (BU) 6-0, 6-1

Order of Finish:
Doubles: 1,3
Singles: 4,3,6,2,5