Virginia Downs Boston College 5-2 To Open ACC Play
Jan. 21, 2018
CHESTNUT HILL, Mass. – The Virginia (1-1, 1-0 ACC) women’s tennis team went on the road and picked up the first win of the season with a 5-2 victory at Boston College (0-1, 0-1 ACC) on Sunday. It was also the ACC opener for both teams.
The win over the Eagles was the first at Virginia for new head coach Sara O’Leary and extended Virginia’s undefeated streak against Boston College. The Cavaliers are now 21-0 all-time against the Eagles.
“I’m really proud of the resilience the team showed today,” O’Leary said. “We had a tough loss on Thursday, but they learned from that match, prepared well for Boston College and showed incredible toughness today. Our focus now is on recovery, and continuing to build and improve this week.”
Virginia grabbed the doubles point with victories on courts one and two before picking up four singles wins to close out the day. Sophomore Rosie Johanson (Abbotsford, British Columbia), junior Meghan Kelly (Falmouth, Maine), sophomore Chloe Gullickson (Palm Beach Gardens, Fla.) and junior Erica Susi (Vero Beach, Fla.) picked up the singles wins for the Cavaliers. Johanson is the No. 48 player in the ITA women’s singles rankings, while Kelley is the No. 111 player.
Doubles play opened with the pairing of Cassie Mercer (Huntington, W.Va.) and Teodora Radosavljevic (Belgrade, Serbia) picking up a 6-2 win on court two. It was followed almost immediately by a 6-2 win on court one from the Virginia duo of Johanson and Kelley, who are ranked No. 14 in the ITA women’s doubles rankings.
Gullickson got things started in singles play, picking up a straight-set win over Jackie Urbinati, 6-1, 6-4. It was followed shortly by a straight-set win on court one from Johanson over Asiya Dair by a score of 6-3, 6-3. The two straight-set wins gave Virginia the 3-0 lead in the match.
Boston College got on the board with a win on court two before Virginia would clinch the match on court three as Kelley fought back to win in three sets. She defeated Dasha Possokhova 6-7, 6-4, 6-3.
The Eagles picked up the second win of the day on court five before Susi would close things out on court six. She defeated Maria Ross 2-6, 6-4, 1-0 (8).
Virginia will return to action next weekend, traveling to Vanderbilt to compete in the ITA Kickoff Weekend. The Cavaliers will face Florida State at noon on Friday (Jan. 26) in the opening match of the four-team regional.
Virginia 5, Boston College 2
Singles:
1. No. 48 Rosie Johanson def. Asiya Dair (BC), 6-3, 6-3
2. Kylie Wilcox (BC) def. Cassie Mercer, 4-6, 6-3, 6-4
3. No. 111 Meghan Kelley def. Dasha Possokhova (BC), 6-7, 6-4, 6-3
4. Chloe Gullickson def. Jackie Urbinati (BC), 6-1, 6-4
5. Natasha Irani (BC) def. Teodora Radosavljevic, 6-4, 7-5
6. Erica Susi def. Maria Ross (BC), 2-6, 6-4, 1-0 (8)
Order of Finish: 4, 1, 2, 3, 5, 6
Doubles:
1. No. 14 Johanson/Kelley def. Urbinati/Wilcox (BC), 6-2
2. Mercer/Radosavljevic def. Possokhova/Tsokilauri (BC), 6-2
3. Dair/Irani (BC) def. Gullickson/Susi, 6-2
Order of Finish: 2, 1, 3