No. 12 Virginia Edged 4-3 at No. 6 NC State
RALEIGH, N.C. – The No. 12 Virginia women’s tennis team (13-5, 9-4 ACC) was edged 4-3 by No. 6 NC State (16-4, 10-3 ACC) on Sunday (April 11) at the J.W. Isenhour Tennis Center in Raleigh, N.C.
The Cavaliers dropped the doubles point and trailed 3-1 in the match, but came back to tie it 3-3. NC State’s Lexi Keberle clinched the victory with a win on court six in the final match of the regular season for both teams.
In doubles, the Wolfpack picked up wins on courts two and three, both by 6-1 scores, to take a 1-0 lead in the match. NC State extended its advantage with a singles win on court five to make it 2-0.
Senior Rosie Johanson (Vancouver, Canada) put UVA on the board with a 6-4, 6-3 win against Adriana Reami on court three. NC State picked up a straight-set victory on court four to go up 3-1.
Court one featured a top-10 battle with No. 6 freshman Emma Navarro (Charleston, S.C.) taking on No. 5 Anna Rogers. After splitting the first two sets, Navarro came through with a 6-2 win in the decider to cut the deficit to 3-2.
Sophomore Natasha Subhash (Fairfax, Va.) tied things with a win on court two. Subhash had dropped her first set 6-3 against No. 29 Alana Smith, but won her second 6-3 to force a third. Subhash won the decider 7-5 to earn the point for the Cavaliers.
On court six, Junior Sofia Munera (Periera, Colombia) and Keberle had split their first two sets, both decided by 7-5 scores. Munera held the early edge in the third set, going up a break to lead 3-1, but Keberle rallied to win 6-4 and secure the team victory for the Wolfpack.
MATCH NOTES
- Rosie Johanson extended her singles win streak to 12 matches
- Virginia finished the regular season with a 9-4 conference mark
- Johanson and Emma Navarro both finished conference play with 12-1 ACC records. Natasha Subhash was 11-2 giving the Cavaliers a combined 35-4 record on the top three courts in the ACC this season
- Navarro’s victory was her third win against a top-10-ranked opponent this season
- There are two ACC matches scheduled for next weekend. The bracket for the championship will be announced after the conclusion of the Sunday, April 18 contest between Wake Forest and Duke
FROM HEAD COACH SARA O’LEARY
“I’m proud of the fight our team showed all weekend. Doubles was tough and something we will focus on over the next two weeks but the resilience our team showed both on Friday and today is what I love about this team. Another 3-4 loss hurts but also shows us we are right there. It’s about recognizing what adjustments we need to make and getting back to work. I’m excited about where the team is at right now and the weeks ahead.
“It’s been an incredible week for Emma. To see her compete and win at the Volvo Car Open then turn right back around and compete for our team against two very tough opponents shows how much grit she has. Not only is she an amazing leader for our team but also an example of someone who competes to the very end regardless of the venue, situation or opponent. It’s been a lot of fun watching her battle in the orange and blue.”
ON THE HORIZON
- Virginia has a bye-week next week before heading to Rome, Ga., to compete at the 2021 ACC Women’s Tennis Championship, being held April 21-25 at the Rome Tennis Center at Berry College
#6 NC State Wolfpack 4, #12 Virginia 3
Singles competition
- #6 Emma Navarro (VA) def. #5 Anna Rogers (ST) 6-2, 3-6, 6-2
- #35 Natasha Subhash (VA) def. #29 Alana Smith (ST) 3-6, 6-2, 7-5
- #101 Rosie Johanson (VA) def. #112 Adriana Reami (ST) 6-4, 6-3
- Jaeda Daniel (ST) def. Hibah Shaikh (VA) 6-3, 6-3
- Abigail Rencheli (ST) def. Amber O’Dell (VA) 6-1, 6-4
- Lexi Keberle (ST) def. Sofia Munera (VA) 7-5, 5-7, 6-4
Doubles competition
- #9 Anna Rogers/Alana Smith (ST) vs. #41 Emma Navarro/Rosie Johanson (VA) 4-4, unfinished
- #5 Jaeda Daniel/Adriana Reami (ST) def. #29 Natasha Subhash/Sofia Munera (VA) 6-1
- Amelia Rajecki/Abigail Rencheli (ST) def. #52 Amber O’Dell/Vivian Glozman (VA) 6-1
Order of finish: Doubles (2,3); Singles (5,3,4,1,2,6)
T-3:20