No. 15 Virginia Topples No. 8 Georgia Tech, 5-2, for O'Leary's 100th Career Win
CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – The No. 15 Virginia women’s tennis team (11-2, 7-1 ACC) closed out its weekend with a 5-2 win against No. 8 Georgia Tech (12-8, 5-4 ACC) on Sunday (March 21) at the Virginia Tennis Facility at the Boar’s Head Resort.
This was the 100th career victory for head coach Sara O’Leary and the seventh-straight win for the Cavaliers.
Junior Amber O’Dell (New Milford, N.J.) clinched the victory with a win on court six.
In doubles, sophomore Natasha Subhash (Fairfax, Va.) and junior Sofia Munera (Pereira, Colombia) won their match on court two, 6-2, but Georgia Tech’s No. 5-ranked tandem of Kenya Jones and Victoria Flores evened the point with a 6-2 win of their own on court one. O’Dell and senior Vivian Glozman (Bellevue, Wash.) clinched the point with a 6-4 victory on court three.
In singles, senior Rosie Johanson (Vancouver, Canada) won her first set 6-1 and then prevailed in a tight 7-5 second set to give UVA a 2-0 advantage. Georgia Tech won in straight sets on court five to make the score 2-1.
The remaining four courts were three-set battles.
On court one, freshman Emma Navarro (Charleston, S.C.) won her first set against No. 13 Kenya Jones, 6-1, but was edged 6-3 in the second. Navarro kept her perfect record intact by taking the third set 6-4 and giving UVA a 3-1 lead. Georgia Tech won on court four to narrow the gap to 3-2.
On court six, O’Dell had edged her opponent Rosie Garcia Gross 7-5 in the first set but dropped her second 6-3. She pulled out a 6-4 victory in the third to clinch the victory for the Cavaliers.
On the final court, Subhash won her first set against No. 56 Victoria Flores, 6-3, but Flores edged her in a 7-5 tiebreaker to decide the second set to force a third. Subhash wrapped it up with a 6-4 win to give UVA the 5-2 victory.
FROM HEAD COACH SARA O’LEARY
“I’m incredibly proud of my team! Georgia Tech is a very good team who competed really well and made us earn everything today. I felt like our team just really laid everything out on the line today and was willing to just battle when things weren’t going their way and definitely through some nerves. They earned the win today through their resilience, belief in themselves and each other as well as the preparation they continue to put in each and every week.
“I had no idea it was win 100 but it couldn’t have happened with a more special match. It’s given me a chance to just reflect on all the incredible young women I’ve had the privilege to get to know and work with and the amazing coaches and staff that I have worked with and learned from. I’m just feeling very grateful!”
MATCH NOTES
- Sara O’Leary had 45 wins in her three seasons as a head coach at Davidson and 55 in her three-plus years at UVA
- Virginia dropped its ACC opener against No. 1 North Carolina, but has won seven straight matches since, all against conference opponents
- Emma Navarro improved to 12-0 at No. 1 singles to begin her collegiate career. She dropped a set for only the second time in ACC play
- Rosie Johanson extended her singles win streak to seven matches, all of which she won in straight sets
ON THE HORIZON
- Virginia closes out its month-long homestand by hosting No. 6 Duke on Saturday, March 27 at 1 p.m. at the Virginia Tennis Facility at the Boar’s Head Resort
- The Duke match is the Cavaliers’ final home contest of the regular season
#15 Virginia 5, #8 Georgia Tech 2
Singles competition
- #80 Emma Navarro (VA) def. #13 Kenya Jones (GT) 6-1, 3-6, 6-4
- #11 Natasha Subhash (VA) def. #56 Victoria Flores (GT) 6-3, 6-7 (5-7), 6-4
- #47 Rosie Johanson (VA) def. Ava Hrastar (GT) 6-1, 7-5
- #123 Gia Cohen (GT) def. Hibah Shaikh (VA) 6-4, 6-7 (5-7), 6-2
- Carol Lee (GT) def. Sofia Munera (VA) 6-3, 6-1
- #104 Amber O’Dell (VA) def. Rosie Garcia Gross (GT) 7-5, 3-6, 6-4
Doubles competition
- #5 Kenya Jones/Victoria Flores (GT) def. Emma Navarro/Rosie Johanson (VA) 6-2
- Natasha Subhash/Sofia Munera (VA) def. Ava Hrastar/Gia Cohen (GT) 6-2
- Vivian Glozman/Amber O’Dell (VA) def. Rosie Garcia Gross/Mahak Jain (GT) 6-4
Order of finish: Doubles (2,1,3); Singles (3,5,1,4,6,2)
T-3:18 A-41