No. 22 Virginia Takes 5-2 Win Over Wake Forest On Senior Day
April 22, 2018
CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. — The No. 22 Virginia (15-7, 9-5 ACC) women’s tennis team won five-of-six singles matches on Sunday afternoon to close out the regular season with a victory, defeating No. 28 Wake Forest (17-12, 5-9 ACC) by a score of 5-2 at the Snyder Tennis Center.
With the win, the Cavaliers hit the nine-win mark in ACC, tying for third-all time in ACC wins in a single season. The nine wins matches the mark hit by the 2013 and 2016 teams. The program record for ACC wins in a season is 12 set in the 2014 season.
After dropping the doubles point, Virginia won five-of-six singles matches on the afternoon for the match win. Singles victories from Hunter Bleser (New Braunfels, Texas), Chloe Gullickson (Palm Beach Gardens, Fla.), Meghan Kelley (Falmouth, Maine), Cassie Mercer (Huntington, W.Va.) and Teodora Radosavljevic (Belgrade, Serbia) powered the Cavaliers in the regular-season finale.
“We didn’t compete the way we have most of the season on Friday, and we talked about coming together and having better energy today,” said Virginia head coach Sara O’Leary. “I’m proud of the way we responded and the resilience we showed after losing a close doubles point and Rosie (Johanson) having to retire on court one. Each player really focused and took ownership of her performance on her court (in singles).
“It’s been incredible to see them support each other and put the team first in every way. It’s been fun for my assistants and me as we watch the team embrace every moment. It’s a long week (coming up at the ACC Tournament) and we have a lot of matches and tennis ahead of us.”
The Demon Deacons took the doubles point, picking up wins on courts one and three, while the Cavaliers won on court two. Wake Forest’s No. 33 ranked duo of Carter and Davis won 6-3 on court one over the No. 16 duo of Rosie Johanson (Abbotsford, British Columbia) and Kelley. On court two, the Cavaliers got a 7-5 win from Gullickson and Mercer sending the focus to court three.
After trailing 5-1 in the first set, the Cavalier duo of Bleser and Radosavljevic battled back to take a 6-5 lead in the set. Wake Forest would send it to a tiebreak before claiming the doubles point with a 7-6 (1) win on court three.
Wake Forest extended the lead to 2-0 overall as Johanson retired due to injury following the first set on court one. Wake’s Emma Davis, the No. 27 ranked singles player nationally, won the first set 7-5 before the retirement.
The two Cavalier seniors quickly tied things up for the home team, picking up wins on courts five and court three, respectively. Radosavljevic won 6-4, 6-4 over Wake Forest’s M.C. Meredith before Mercer would post a 7-5, 6-2 win over Chandler Carter to square the overall match score at 2-2.
After battling through a tiebreak in the first set, Gullickson cruised in the second to push Virginia into the lead as she defeated Anna Ulyashchenko 7-6 (3), 6-1 on court four. Moments later, Kelley clinched the win for the Cavaliers with a 6-4, 6-3 win over Eliza Omirou on court two.
Bleser closed out the match for Virginia on court six, fighting through a tiebreak in her first set before securing the win over Alexis Franco 7-6 (3), 6-2.
No. 22 Virginia 5, No. 28 Wake Forest 2
Singles
1. No. 27 Emma Davis (WF) def. No. 43 Rosie Johanson, 7-5 (ret.)
2. Meghan Kelley def. Eliza Omirou (WF), 6-4, 6-3
3. Cassie Mercer def. Chandler Carter (WF) ,7-5, 6-2
4. Chloe Gullickson def. Anna Ulyashchenko (WF), 7-6 (3), 6-1
5. Teodora Radosavljevic def. M.C. Meredith (WF), 6-4, 6-4
6. Hunter Bleser def. Alexis Franco (WF), 7-6 (3), 6-2
Order of Finish: 1, 5, 3, 4, 2, 6
Doubles
1. No. 38 Carter/Davis (WF) def. No. 16 Johanson/Kelley, 6-3
2. Gullickson/Mercer def. M.C. Meredith/Omirou (WF), 7-5
3. Bleser/Radosavljevic vs. C. Meredith/ Ulyashchenko (WF)
Order of Finish: 1, 2, 3