No. 21 Virginia Powers Past No. 19 Miami 5-2
March 23, 2018
CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – The No. 21 Virginia (10-4, 5-2 ACC) women’s tennis team posted a thrilling comeback on Friday afternoon, winning five of six singles matches to take a 5-2 win over No. 19 Miami (9-5, 5-2 ACC) at the Boar’s Head Sports Club.
It’s the third consecutive win in ACC play for the Cavaliers and second win this season over a top-20 opponent.
The Hurricanes took the doubles point, but Virginia rallied behind straight set wins from sophomore Chloe Gullickson (Palm Beach Gardens, Fla.), junior Meghan Kelley (Falmouth, Maine) and senior Teodora Radosavljevic (Belgrade, Serbia) to take the overall lead for good.
Sophomore Rosie Johanson (Abbotsford, British Columbia) clinched the win as the No. 74 ranked player picked up a three-set victory over No. 9 Estela Perez-Somarriba on court one. Sophomore Hunter Bleser (New Braunfels, Texas) then closed out the match with her three-set win on court six.
“I could not be prouder of this group of young women,” said Virginia head coach Sara O’Leary. “They are resilient, tough, professional and so much fun to work with and coach. After losing a close doubles point, they did not get down on themselves. They dug deep and just believed in themselves. Miami is a very good team and they made us earn every single match today. We got better today and have to just keep our focus on improving every single day.”
The Hurricanes started the match by claiming the doubles point, picking up wins on courts one and three. Virginia’s pairing of Gullickson and Cassie Mercer (Huntington, W. Va.) picked up the lone doubles win for the Cavaliers on court two, taking down the No. 50 duo of Sinead Lohan and Ana Madcur, 6-2.
In singles play, the Cavaliers proved to be too much for the Hurricanes by quickly moving into the lead with wins on courts four and three. Gullickson defeated Sofia Sewing by a score of 6-3, 6-2, before Kelley posted her 6-4, 6-2 win over Daniella Roldan.
Miami would tie the match with a win on court two before Radosavljevic would fight through a second-set tiebreak to give the lead back to Virginia. Radosavljevic won 6-0, 7-6 (3) over Miami’s Madcur on court five.
Virginia then clinched the match with Johanson’s three-set win over the ninth-ranked Perez-Somarriba. Johanson won 6-3, 4-6, 6-1 over the Hurricane’s highest ranked singles player. Bleser then set the final margin of victory with her three-set win on court six, battling back after dropping the first set to defeat Ulyana Shirokova, 3-6, 7-6 (1), 6-2.
The Cavaliers will return to action on Sunday, continuing ACC competition by hosting Pittsburgh at noon.
No. 21 Virginia 5, No. 19 Miami 2
Singles
1. No. 74 Rosie Johanson def. No. 9 Perez-Somarriba (UM), 6-3, 4-6, 6-1
2. No. 71 Sinead Lohan (UM) def. Cassie Mercer, 7-5, 6-1
3. Meghan Kelley def. Daniella Roldan (UM) 6-4, 6-2
4. Chloe Gullickson def. Sofia Sewing (UM), 6-3, 6-2
5. Teodora Radosavljevic def. Ana Madcur (UM), 6-0, 7-6 (3)
6. Hunter Bleser def. Ulyana Shirokova (UM), 3-6, 7-6 (1), 6-2
Order of Finish: 4, 3, 2, 5, 1, 6
Doubles
1. Perez-Somarriba/Roldan (UM) def. No. 12 Johanson/Kelley, 7-5
2. Gullickson/Mercer def. No. 50 Lohan/Madcur (UM), 6-2
3. Paterova/Shirokova (UM) def. Radosavljevic/Susi, 6-0
Order of Finish: 3, 2, 1