Virginia Downs Clemson 4-1 in ACC Quarterfinals
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CARY, N.C. – The No. 15 Virginia women’s tennis team advanced to the semifinals of the 2012 ACC Tournament with a 4-1 quarterfinal victory over No. 22 Clemson Friday morning at the Cary Tennis Park. The fifth-seeded Cavaliers (18-6) avenged a 6-1 loss to the fourth-seeded Tigers (15-9) two weeks earlier in the regular season and advanced to their first ACC semifinal since 2003.
The Cavaliers took an early 1-0 lead with a strong doubles performance. At No. 1, Hana Tomljanovic (Boca Raton, Fla.) and Erin Vierra (Norwell, Mass.) downed 12th-ranked Keri Wong and Josipa Bek 8-3. Lindsey Hardenbergh (Fairfax Station, Va.) Emily Fraser (Rye, N.Y.) posted an 8-3 win at No. 2 over Beatrice Gumulya and Romy Kolzer to clinch the opening point. The Cavalier duo of Li Xi (Kunming, China) and Maria Fuccillo (Rockville, Md.) were leading 7-2 at No. 3 when their match was abandoned.
In singles, Clemson drew even as Gumulya defeated Xi 6-1, 6-1 at the No. 4 position. Virginia retook the lead, 2-1, when Hardenbergh completed a 6-2, 6-2 win at No. 2 over Klara Vyskocilova. At No. 1, Fraser rebounded from dropping the first set for a 3-6, 6-1, 6-2 win over Wong to extend the lead to 3-1. Tomljanovic clinched the victory with her win at No. 3 over Bek, a three-time singles All-American, in two close sets, 7-6(5), 7-5.
“This is a great accomplishment for this team and I am really happy for them to reach another level of success in the ACC,” said head coach Mark Guilbeau. “This was the kind of match you want to see in the postseason. Everybody on the team battled and at most spots we were involved in competitive matches where we controlled a lot of the play. I am very proud of our top three for leading us today and getting the job done. Hana’s win to clinch it was a great win and probably the best win of her career for several reasons. I am proud of the progress we have made in the last two weeks and I am confident that we can continue to go even higher.”
The Cavaliers will meet top-seeded Duke, ranked No. 2 nationally, in Saturday’s first semifinal. Match time at the Cary Tennis Park is 10 a.m. The Blue Devils won the regular season meeting 4-3 on Mar. 23 in Charlottesville.
#15 VIRGINIA 4, #22 CLEMSON 1
Doubles:
1. #64 Tomljanovic/Vierra (UVa) def. #12 Bek/Wong (CU) 8-3
2. #13 Hardenbergh/Fraser (UVa) def. Gumulya/Kolzer (CU) 8-3
3. Fuccillo/Xi (UVa) led Kochanova/Vyskocilova (CU) 7-2 DNF
Singles:
1. #21 Emily Fraser (UVa) def. #43 Keri Wong (CU) 3-6, 6-1, 6-2
2. #38 Lindsey Hardenbergh (UVa) def. #66 Klara Vyskocilova (CU) 6-2, 6-2
3. #117 Hana Tomljanovic (UVa) def. Josipa Bek (CU) 7-6(5), 7-5
4. Beatrice Gumulya (CU) def. #99 Li Xi (UVa) 6-1, 6-1
5. Erin Vierra (UVa) led Nelly Ciolkowski (CU) 7-6(3), 5-3 DNF
6. Romy Kolzer (CU) led Caryssa Peretz (UVa) 7-6(2), 3-6, 3-2 DNF
Order of Finish:
Doubles: 1,2
Singles: 4,2,1,3
Emily Fraser – Postmatch Interview