No. 20 Virginia Takes 6-1 Win At Virginia Tech Saturday
April 7, 2018
BLACKSBURG, Va. – The No. 20 Virginia (13-5, 7-3 ACC) women’s tennis team started strong and surged through to the end on Saturday afternoon, taking a 6-1 win on the road at Virginia Tech (12-7, 3-7 ACC) and picking up a point in the Commonwealth Clash.
Saturday’s Commonwealth Clash contest was brought to you by Virginia529. Visit TheCommonwealthClash.com for more information and the overall score. Virginia529 is the official college savings plan of University of Virginia Athletics.
Virginia won the doubles point and took five-of-six singles matches, including a rousing rally from Meghan Kelley (Falmouth, Maine) on court two singles, on the way to the dominant victory.
The Cavaliers took the doubles point behind wins on courts one and two, taking the early lead on the Hokies. The Virginia duo of Kelley and Rosie Johanson (Abbotsford, British Columbia) made quick work of Virginia Tech’s Katherine Butler and Natalie Novotna on court one with a 6-0 victory. The Hokies won on court three, before Virginia would secure the doubles point with a 6-3 win on court two from the pairing of Chloe Gullickson (Palm Beach Gardens, Fla.) and Cassie Mercer (Huntington, W.Va.).
In singles play, Johanson worked quickly on court one to extend the Cavaliers’ lead. The No. 47 player in the latest ITA singles rankings, Johanson defeated No. 61 Novotna 6-1, 6-3. She was followed by a 6-3, 6-2 win on court five by Virginia’s Teodora Radosavljevic (Belgrade, Serbia) over Nina Sorkin.
Virginia Tech then got on the board with a win on court six singles, but it would prove to be the only singles win of the afternoon for the Hokies.
Gullickson finished next, battling to a three-set victory on court four with a 6-2, 3-6, 6-1 win over Nika Kozar to clinch the win for the Cavaliers.
The lead moved out to 5-1 for UVA in the overall score as Mercer’s opponent, Elena Cerezo-Codina, was forced to retire in the third set. Mercer battled back in the second set, after dropping a first-set tiebreak to force the third.
Kelley then closed things out with her dramatic rally on court two against Caroline Daxhelet. After dropping her first set 6-0, Kelley fought through a tiebreak in the second set to force a third frame. She then rallied again after trailing by three games to pick up the win. Kelley defeated Daxhelet 0-6, 7-6 (5), 7-5.
Virginia will return to action next weekend, continuing play on the road at No. 1 North Carolina and NC State. The Cavaliers will face the top-ranked Tar Heels at 3 p.m. on Friday to kick off the road weekend in the ACC.
No. 20 Virginia 6, Virginia Tech 1
Singles
1. No. 47 Rosie Johanson def. No. 61 Natalie Novotna (VT), 6-1, 6-3
2. Meghan Kelley def. Caroline Daxhelet (VT), 0-6, 7-6 (5), 7-5
3. Cassie Mercer def. Elena Cerezo-Codina (VT) 6-7 (5), 7-5, 1-3 (ret.)
4. Chloe Gullickson def. Nika Kozar (VT), 6-2, 3-6, 6-1
5. Teodora Radosavljevic def. Nina Sorkin (VT), 6-3, 6-2
6. Katherine Butler (VT) def. Hunter Bleser (VT), 6-3, 6-3
Order of Finish: 1, 5, 6, 4, 3, 2
Doubles
1. No. 16 Johanson/Kelley def. Butler/Novotna (VT), 6-0
2. Gullickson/Mercer def. Cerezo-Codina/Daxhelet (VT), 6-3
3. Kozar/Sorkin (VT) def. Bleser/Radosavljevic, 6-2
Order of Finish: 1, 3, 2