Virginia Downs Syracuse 6-1 On Saturday
Feb. 4, 2017
CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. ÃÆ’¢Ãƒ¢’¬” The Virginia women’s tennis team (2-2, 2-0 ACC) picked up its second win in Atlantic Coast Conference play, defeating the Syracuse Orange (1-4, 0-1 ACC) on Saturday by a score of 6-1.
The Cavaliers grabbed the doubles point, then picked up five singles wins on the way to the 6-1 victory. It’s part of a five-match home stretch for Virginia to start the season, that included a season-opening win over Boston College for the first win in conference play back in January.
Singles wins came from junior Cassie Mercer (Huntington, W.V.) and freshmen Rosie Johanson (Abbotsford, British Columbia), Chloe Gullickson (Palm Beach Gardens, Fla.), Hunter Bleser (New Braunfels, Texas) and Camille Favero (Sacramento, Calif.).
Virginia will continue to play at home on Sunday (Feb. 5), hosting No. 21 South Carolina at 12 p.m. at the Boar’s Head Sports Club.
The Cavaliers picked up the doubles point, rallying to win on courts one and three. The duo of Gullickson and Mercer upset Syracuse’s 10th-ranked pairing of Knutson and Salazar 7-5 on court one. The Virginia pairing of Bleser and Favero fought through a tiebreak on court three to give the home team the early advantage with a 7-6 (5) win that secured the doubles point.
Johanson, the No. 79 ranked player in singles, added to the Virginia lead with a straight-set win over No. 38 Valeria Salazar on court two, winning 6-3, 6-2.
The freshmen Gullickson and Bleser then clinched the match for Virginia as both players won their matches within moments of each other on courts four and five, respectively. Gullickson defeated Maria Tritou 6-1, 6-3, while Bleser defeated Dina Hegab by the same score.
With the match secured, the remaining matches that split sets on courts one and six moved to a super tiebreak. Mercer rallied for her win on court one, 3-6, 6-4, 1-0 (6) over No. 99 Gabriela Knutson. Favero also rallied to win her match 3-6, 7-5, 1-0 (6) over Libi Mesh.
Virginia 6, Syracuse 1
Singles
Cassie Mercer def. No. 99 Gabriela Knutson, 3-6, 6-4, 1-0 (6)
No. 79 Rosie Johanson def. No. 38 Valeria Salazar, 6-3, 6-2
Miranda Ramirez def. No. 124 Meghan Kelley, 7-6 (5), 6-3
Chloe Gullickson def. Maria Tritou, 6-1, 6-3
Hunter Bleser def. Dina Hegab, 6-1, 6-3
Camille Favero def. Libi Mesh, 3-6, 7-5, 1-0 (6)
Order of Finish: 2, 4, 5, 1, 6, 3
Doubles
Gullickson/Mercer def. No. 10 Knutson/Salazar, 7-5
Shkudun/Tritou def. Johanson/Kelley, 6-3
Bleser/Favero def. Hegab/Ramirez, 7-6 (5)
Order of Finish: 2, 1, 3