Virginia Advances to ACC Quarterfinals
Story Links
April 21, 2016
CARY, N.C. – The fifth-seeded Virginia women’s tennis team (15-9, 9-5 ACC) advanced to the quarterfinals of the 2016 ACC Women’s Tennis Championship with a 4-3 victory over 12-seed Florida State (13-13, 4-10 ACC) on Thursday (April 21) at Cary Tennis Park in Cary, N.C.
The match was tied 3-3 with the outcome decided by a third-set victory from senior Stephanie Nauta (Galveston, Texas) over Yukako Noi at No. 3 singles. Nauta and Noi were tied 5-5 in the third set when Nauta went up a break to serve for the win. Nauta went up 40-0, but Noi won back-to-back points to make it 40-30. The two players engaged in an extended volley with Nauta preserving to clinch the match for the Cavaliers.
“When it was 40-30, I was a little nervous and switched my serve target with hard-T,” Nauta Said. “We had a long point, but I was determined that I was not going to miss the ball. I made every one. I really think that through the whole match I had tired her out and that’s why she lost that last point.”
The Cavaliers dropped the doubles point to trail 1-0 heading into singles. Straight-set victories from senior Danielle Collins (St. Petersburg, Fla.) at No. 1 [6-0, 6-3] and freshman Meghan Kelley (Falmouth, Me.) at No. 4 [6-3, 6-2] gave UVA a 2-1 lead. Florida State tied the match and then took a 3-2 lead after winning points at six and five singles. Senior Julia Elbaba (Oyster Bay, N.Y.) tied the match 3-3 after she closed out a 7-5, 6-1 victory over Gabriella Castaneda at No. 2. Nauta had won her first set 6-1, but lost her second in a tiebreaker for Noi to force a third set. Noi and Nauta traded breaks back and through 4-4 of the final set. Both players held serve to make it 5-5 before Nauta grabbed a break to go up 6-5 and served for the match.
“I am very happy for the team and proud of the girls,” said Virginia head coach Mark Guilbeau. “It doesn’t always come down to one set being played out in front of everyone and one set deciding the match. Steph has been great about that in the past, cheering others on. A big part of this win was that we were all still there together, helping make it a positive experience. Now we have a lot of work to do to get ready to go tomorrow.”
The Cavaliers will take on four-seed Duke (18-5, 11-3 ACC) on Friday, April 22 at 12 p.m. in the quarterfinals. The match was originally slated to be played at 1 p.m. but all of Friday’s matches were moved up an hour because of the forecast for inclement weather later in the day.
#16 Virginia 4, #60 Florida State 3
Singles competition
1. #2 Danielle Collins (VA) def. #38 Daneika Borthwick (FS) 6-0, 6-3
2. #16 Julia Elbaba (VA) def. Gabriella Castaneda (FS) 7-5, 6-1
3. #85 Stephanie Nauta (VA) def. Yukako Noi (FS) 6-1, 6-7, 7-5
4. Meghan Kelley (VA) def. Julia Mikulski (FS) 6-3, 6-2
5. Ariana Gabriella Castaneda (FS) def. Erica Susi (VA) 6-3, 1-6, 6-3
6. Daniela Schippers (FS) def. Cassie Mercer (VA) 6-3, 6-4
Doubles competition
1. Yukako Noi/Gabriella Castaneda (FS) def. #16 Danielle Collins/Meghan Kelley (VA) 6-2
2. Daneika Borthwick/Daniela Schippers def. Stephanie Nauta/Cassie Mercer (VA) 6-1
3. Julia Elbaba/Erica Susi (VA) def. Julia Mikulski/Ariana Rahmanparast (FS) 6-1
Order of finish: Doubles (2,3,1); Singles (1,4,6,5,2,3)