No. 14 Virginia Takes 6-1 Victory Over Virginia Tech
CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. –The No. 14 Virginia women’s tennis team (9-2, 3-1 ACC) extended its win streak over the Hokies to 24 consecutive matches, taking a 6-1 victory over Virginia Tech (5-5, 1-2 ACC) at the Boar’s Head Sports Club on Sunday (Feb. 24).
The win was the 40th overall for Virginia in the series as the Cavaliers now lead the all-time series, 40-5. The current Virginia win streak dates back to the 1998-99 season.
The win represents a point for the Cavaliers in the Commonwealth Clash, an annual head-to-head, points-based competition between the athletic teams of Virginia and Virginia Tech presented by Virginia549. Learn more about Virginia529 and the competition at www.TheCommonwealthClash.com.
“Today was a good day for the team after coming off a tough loss on Friday,” said Virginia head coach Sara O’Leary. “I felt like Virginia Tech played and competed really well. It was a good challenge for our team to learn from Friday, get back on the court, and improve in some areas of our game and identity as a team. I was so proud of the resilience and toughness Amber (O’Dell) showed after losing her first set. She adjusted her game and got a lot better today. This team is resilient and they showed that today.”
After grabbing the doubles point, the Cavaliers took singles wins from senior Meghan Kelley (Falmouth, Maine), juniors Hunter Bleser (New Braunfels, Texas) and Chloe Gullickson (Palm Beach Gardens, Fla.), sophomore Vivian Glozman (Bellevue, Wash.) and freshman Amber O’Dell (New Milford, N.J.) to lock up the victory.
Virginia took the doubles points with wins on courts two and three, giving the home team the early lead in the overall match score. The duo of Glozman and Sofia Munera (Pereira, Colombia) cruised to a 6-1 victory on court two before the Hokies would secure a 6-3 win on court one.
After Virginia Tech fought back to tie the match at 5-5 on court three, the Virginia duo of Bleser and Kelley held serve then broke to take the 7-5 victory and secure the doubles point for the Cavaliers.
The Cavaliers extended the lead with straight-set wins at opposite ends of the lineup as Bleser defeated Rita Pinto on court six by a score of 6-1, 6-1 before Kelley took her 6-2, 6-4 win over Natalie Novotna on court one.
Glozman then locked up the match with her straight-set victory on court two, taking a hard-fought match from Nika Kozar by a score of 6-4, 6-4. Gullickson then pushed the lead out to five points for the Cavaliers with her 7-5, 6-3 win over Elizabet Danailova on court three.
The final two singles matches went into a third set with Virginia Tech getting on the board with a victory on court five before O’Dell would close things out on court four. After dropping a tight first set, O’Dell cruised through the second and then fought through a gritty third to take the 5-7, 6-0, 7-5 win over Nina Sorkin.
Virginia will return to action next weekend, traveling to face Clemson and Wake Forest as ACC play continues. The Cavaliers will face Clemson on Friday (March 1) and the Deacs on Sunday (March 3).
No. 14 Virginia 6, Virginia Tech 1
Singles
1. No. 43 Meghan Kelley def. Natalie Novotna (VT) – 6-2, 6-4
2. Vivian Glozman def. Nika Kozar (VT) – 6-4, 6-4
3. Chloe Gullickson def. Elizabet Danailova (VT) – 7-5, 6-3
4. Amber O’Dell def. Nina Sorkin (VT) – 5-7, 6-0, 7-5
5. Samantha Gillas (VT) def. Sofia Munera – 4-6, 6-4, 6-3
6. Hunter Bleser def. Rita Pinto (VT) – 6-1, 6-4
Order of Finish: 6, 1, 2, 3, 5, 4
Doubles
1. Natalie Novotna/Rita Pinto (VT) def. Chloe Gullickson/Amber O’Dell – 6-3
2. Vivian Glozman/Sofia Munera def. Nika Kozar/Nina Sorkin (VT) – 6-1
3. Hunter Bleser/Meghan Kelley def Sarah Baron/Samantha Gillas (VT) – 7-5
Order of Finish: 2, 1, 3