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No. 15 Virginia Downs No. 8 Duke, 4-2, on Senior Day

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CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. –  The No. 15 Virginia women’s tennis team (12-2, 8-1 ACC) picked up a 4-2  victory over No. 8 Duke (10-4, 5-3 ACC) on Saturday (March 27) at the Virginia Tennis Facility at the Boar’s Head Resort.

Duke won the doubles point, but the Cavaliers won four singles matches to pick up their second-straight win over a top-10 opponent.

Senior Rosie Johanson (Vancouver, Canada) clinched the victory for the Cavaliers after being honored before the match during the team’s Senior Day ceremony.

The Cavaliers entered singles play trailing 1-0 after the Blue Devils won on courts one and three.

Freshman Emma Navarro (Charleston, S.C.) tied the match 1-1 when she finished a 6-3, 6-4 victory against No. 17 Kelly Chen. Fellow freshman Hibah Shaikh (Teaneck, N.J.) put UVA ahead 2-1 with a 6-1, 7-5 victory against Karolina Berankova on court four. Duke won in straight sets on court two to tie the match at 2-2.

The remaining three courts all split their first two sets. Just as the third sets were getting underway, it began to rain, sending the match into a delay. After a 20-minute wait, it was decided to move the competition indoors. Play resumed fifteen minutes later.

Junior Amber O’Dell (New Milford, N.J.) had a 3-1 lead in her third set when play resumed. She won the final three games to earn a 2-6, 6-4, 6-1 victory on court six to put UVA on the brink.

Johanson had won her first set against No. 87 Margaryta Bilokin 6-3 but was edged 6-4 in the second. She powered through a 6-2 victory in the third set to clinch the victory for the Cavaliers.

FROM HEAD COACH SARA O’LEARY

“Today was a battle from start to finish with Duke. I thought Duke competed really well especially in doubles. I think being senior day, there were a lot of emotions to start the match and we didn’t get off to a great start. However, this team is so resilient, composed and continues to play for each other again and again. They never got down and even through the adversity of having to go from outside to inside, they kept working and played with such toughness and with so much fight all the way through.

“I couldn’t have asked for a more special day for Vivian and Rosie. Those two have given so much to this program and I couldn’t be more grateful. The example they set on and off the court, their continuous determination to get better every day and the way they have united this team has strengthened our program and will leave a positive impact long after they graduate.”

MATCH NOTES

  • Virginia and Duke were originally scheduled to play this match on Feb. 19, but the match was postponed due to an ice storm in the Carolinas and Virginia
  • This is the second-straight match in which UVA has defeated the No. 8 team in the ITA rankings. Georgia Tech was ranked No. 8 last week when the Cavaliers won that match 5-2
  • Virginia dropped its ACC opener against No. 1 North Carolina but has won eight straight matches since, all against conference opponents
  • Emma Navarro improved to 13-0 at No. 1 singles to begin her collegiate career
  • Rosie Johanson extended her singles win streak to eight matches
  • Johanson and Vivian Glozman (Bellevue, Wash.) were both honored before the match during the team’s Senior Day ceremony

ON THE HORIZON

  • Virginia has four more matches remaining in the regular season, all of which will be played on the road, beginning with a weekend swing at the Florida schools, playing at Florida State on April 2 and Miami on April 4

#15 Virginia 4, #8 Duke 2

Singles competition

  1. #6 Emma Navarro (VA) def. #17 Kelly Chen (DU) 6-3, 6-4
  2. Meible Chi (DU) def. #18 Natasha Subhash (VA) 6-4, 6-4
  3. Rosie Johanson (VA) def. #87 Margaryta Bilokin (DU) 6-3, 4-6, 6-2
  4. Hibah Shaikh (VA) def. Karolina Berankova (DU) 6-1, 7-5
  5. Sofia Munera (VA) vs. Ema Lazic (DU) 2-6, 7-5, 3-2, unfinished
  6. Amber O’Dell (VA) def. Hannah Zhao (DU) 2-6, 6-4, 6-1

Doubles competition

  1. Meible Chi/Hannah Zhao (DU) def. #21 Emma Navarro/Rosie Johanson (VA) 6-4
  2. #34 Natasha Subhash/Sofia Munera (VA) vs. #9 Margaryta Bilokin/Karolina Berankova (DU) 4-4, unfinished
  3. Kelly Chen/Ema Lazic (DU) def. #41 Vivian Glozman/Amber O’Dell (VA) 6-3

Order of finish: Doubles (1,3); Singles (1,4,2,6,3)

35-minute rain delay

Match began outdoors, final set of final three courts played indoors

T-3:44 A-59

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