No. 20 Virginia Rallies For 4-3 Win Over No. 22 Tennessee
LAWRENCE, Kan. – The No. 20 Virginia women’s tennis team (3-0) secured a berth in the ITA National Team Indoor Championships after rallying for a 4-3 victory over No. 22 Tennessee (3-1) at the ITA Kickoff Regional hosted by Kansas at the Jayhawk Tennis Center on Saturday (Jan. 25).
After dropping the doubles point and falling behind 3-1 in the overall match score, Virginia got victories from the back half of the lineup to complete the comeback. Junior Vivian Glozman (Bellevue, Wash.), senior Chloe Gullickson (Palm Beach Gardens, Fla.) and sophomore Sofia Munera (Pereira, Colombia) all battled to three-set victories to lock up the win for the Cavaliers.
Munera, who is the No. 78 ranked player in singles, claimed her match with a third-set tiebreak as she clinched the victory with a 4-6, 6-3, 7-6 (4) win over Johanna Silva at the fourth spot in the lineup.
Freshman Natasha Subhash (Fairfax, Va.), who is ranked No. 30 nationally in singles provided the other point for the Cavaliers as she swept through her match at the top of the lineup in straight sets.
“Congratulations to Tennessee on an incredible college match,” said Virginia head coach Sara O’Leary. “They competed really well and the match came down to a few points. I am extremely proud of my team and the determination and grit displayed through two very tough, tight matches (this weekend). Their belief in their games and in each other never wavered. It was a complete team effort and we are looking forward to competing in Chicago in a couple of weeks.”
Tennessee took the early advantage in the dual by securing the doubles point with victories on courts one and three. The Lady Vols’ pairing of Carly Briggs and Ariadna Riley won 6-1 on court three before Virginia would take the win on court two as Munera and Subhash won 6-2 over Tennessee’s duo of Hadley Doyle and Rebeka Mertena. The 15th-ranked pairing of Tenika McGiffin and Kaitlin Staines then clinched the doubles point for Tennessee with a 6-2 victory on court one.
With the doubles point in hand, Tennessee extended the lead to 2-0 with a straight set victory on court two by No. 76 Rebeka Mertena before Subhash would get the Cavaliers on the board with her 6-2, 6-3 win over No. 72 Kaitlin Staines. The Lady Vols would then pull to within a point of clinching the dual behind a straight-set victory on court three from Carly Briggs.
With the match hanging in the balance, Gullickson and Munera both battled to force a third set on courts six and four, respectively, while Glozman fought to finish off her match as Tenika McGiffin of Tennessee pushed her to a third set on court five.
Glozman put the first of the next three points on the board with a 6-2, 4-6, 6-3 victory over McGiffin at line five before Gullickson would battle to finish off Hadley Doyle with a 4-6, 6-3, 7-5 victory at line six. Munera then capped the comeback with her victory on court four.
With the victory, the Cavaliers advance to the ITA National Team Indoor Championships hosted by Illinois (Feb. 7-10). Virginia will be one of 16 teams vying for the ITA National Women’s Team Indoor Championship.
Prior to that, the Cavaliers will return home to host Richmond in a 3 p.m. match on Thursday (Jan. 30) at the Boar’s Head Sports Club before hitting the road to open ACC play at Boston College on Sunday (Feb. 2).
No. 20 Virginia 4, No. 22 Tennessee 3
Singles
1. No. 30 Natasha Subhash def. No. 72 Kaitlin Staines (UT) – 6-2, 6-3
2. No. 76 Rebeka Mertena (UT) def. No. 35 Rosie Johanson – 6-1, 6-3
3. Carly Briggs (UT) def. Amber O’Dell – 6-4, 6-0
4. No. 78 Sofia Munera def. Johanna Silva (UT) – 4-6, 6-3, 7-6 (4)
5. Vivian Glozman def. Tenika McGiffin (UT) – 6-2, 4-6, 6-3
6. Chloe Gullickson def. Hadley Doyle (UT) – 4-6, 6-3, 7-5
Order of Finish: 2, 1, 3, 5, 6, 4
Doubles
1. No. 15 Tenika McGiffin/Kaitlin Staines (UT) def. Gullickson/O’Dell – 6-2
2. Munera/Subhash def. Hadley Doyle/Rebeka Mertena (UT) – 6-2
3. Carly Briggs/Ariadna Riley (UT) def. Glozman/Johanson – 6-1
Order of Finish: 3, 2, 1