No. 21 Virginia Takes 5-2 Win Over Pittsburgh Sunday
March 25, 2018
CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – The No. 21 Virginia (11-4, 6-2 ACC) women’s tennis team won its fourth consecutive ACC match on Sunday, taking a 5-2 win over Pittsburgh (6-8, 0-7 ACC) at the Boar’s Head Sports Club.
For the second time on the weekend, Virginia dropped the doubles point but was up to the task in singles, winning five out of six matches to take the victory. The Cavaliers got singles wins from Rosie Johanson (Abbotsford, British Columbia), Cassie Mercer (Huntington, W.Va.), Meghan Kelley (Falmouth, Maine), Chloe Gullickson (Palm Beach Gardens, Fla.) and Teodora Radosavljevic (Belgrade, Serbia).
“I’m proud of the way the ladies were able to settle in and focus on what they can control and do what they needed to do between doubles and singles,” said Virginia head coach Sara O’Leary. “They all stayed composed and focused really well all the way down the line in singles. Credit to Pittsburgh as they came out intense, fired up and ready to go in doubles.
“We played a little scared like we were trying to protect something in those doubles matches and that is not who we are or what we are about. We need to get back to work and stay focused on what we can control, and use each day and each match to get better.”
Pitt took the early lead in the overall match by claiming the doubles point, taking victories on courts one and three in doubles.
Virginia then stormed back in singles, picking up straight-set wins on courts one through five.
Johanson, the No. 74 singles player in the Oracle/ITA rankings, won 6-0, 6-3 on court one over Gabriela Rezende to get the scoring started for the Cavaliers. It was followed quickly by Mercer’s win on court two, a 6-4, 6-0 victory over Camila Moreno that gave Virginia the match lead.
Kelley then posted her 6-3, 6-3 win over Luisa Varon on court three before Gullickson would clinch the match with a 6-3, 6-3 win over Claudia Bartolome on court five. The fifth point would come from Radosavljevic on court five as she battled through a second-set tiebreak to win 6-0, 7-6 (1) over Callie Frey.
Pitt’s second point came on court six as Hunter Bleser (New Braunfels, Texas) retired in her second set. After battling through a first-set tiebreak that Pitt’s Natsumi Okamoto won 7-6 (6), Bleser held a 3-2 lead in the second when Bleser retired.
Virginia will continue to play at home this week, hosting William & Mary on Thursday (March 29) before hosting Florida State on Saturday (March 31). The Saturday match against the Seminoles will be an alumni match with former players returning to Grounds and being recognized at the match.
No. 21 Virginia 5, Pitt 2
Singles
1. No. 74 Rosie Johanson def. Gabriela Rezende (Pitt), 6-0, 6-3
2. Cassie Mercer def. Camila Moreno (Pitt), 6-4, 6-0
3. Meghan Kelley def. Luisa Varon (Pitt), 6-3, 6-3
4. Chloe Gullickson def. Claudia Bartolome (Pitt), 6-3, 6-3
5. Teodora Radosavljevic def. Callie Frey (Pitt), 6-0, 7-6 (1)
6. Natsumi Okamoto (Pitt) def. Hunter Bleser, 7-6 (6), 3-2 (ret.)
Order of Finish: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6
Doubles
1. Frey/Moreno (Pitt) def. No. 12 Johanson/Kelley, 6-3
2. Gullickson/Mercer def. Okamoto/Rezende (Pitt), 6-0
3. Bartolome/Lucas (Pitt) def. Bleser/Radosavljevic, 6-1
Order of Finish: 2, 3, 1