No. 6 Virginia Remains Perfect in ACC Play With Win Against Wake

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. –  The No. 6 Virginia women’s tennis team (17-2, 9-0 ACC) logged a 4-3 victory against Wake Forest (14-9, 5-4 ACC) on Saturday (March 30) at the Virginia Tennis Facility at the Boar’s Head Resort.

Virginia won all three doubles courts and took the first three singles courts in straight sets to clinch the victory. Wake Forest won the remaining three singles courts.

The Cavaliers improved to 9-0 in the ACC, the best start in program history, and are in sole possession of first place. Virginia also improved to 10-0 on the home courts.

The Cavaliers opened the match with 6-2 wins on doubles courts two and three to take a 1-0 lead. The teams played out the action on court one, with juniors Mélodie Collard and Elaine Chervinsky winning 6-4 to complete the doubles sweep.

In singles, grad student Natasha Subhash won 6-2, 6-0 on court three to put UVA up 2-0. Chervinsky followed with a 6-3, 6-4 win on four before Collard clinched the victory moments later on court five with a 6-3, 6-4 win.

Court six had just started its third set when Collard clinched.

Courts two and three split first sets to force third-set 10-point tiebreakers to determine the winners.

Senior Hibah Shaikh dropped her first set against Casie Wooten 6-4 on court one, but took the second set 6-4. Wooten won the breaker 10-5.

On court two, senior Sara Ziodato won her first set 6-1 but her second set against Brooke Killingsworth was knotted 6-6. Killingsworth won the tiebreaker 7-3 to force the third-set super breaker. Killingsworth won that 10-7 to add a second point for the Demon Deacons.

Whitley Pate of Wake Forest won the third set on court six 6-2 to give Wake its third point and end the match.

MATCH NOTES

• Mélodie Collard has won her last 10 completed singles matches, the longest active win streak on the team
• Wake Forest is ranked No. 33 in the latest ITA team rankings

ON THE HORIZON

• The Cavaliers are on the road next weekend, playing at No. 8 North Carolina on Friday, April 5 at 5 p.m. and at No. 19 Duke on Sunday, April 7 at 12 p.m.

#6 Virginia 4, #33 Wake Forest Women’s Tennis 3
Singles competition

1. #35 Casie Wooten (WFU) def. #25 Hibah Shaikh (VA) 6-4, 4-6, 10-5
2. Brooke Killingsworth (WFU) def. #60 Sara Ziodato (VA) 1-6, 7-6 (7-3), 10-7
3. Natasha Subhash (VA) def. Marcella Cruz (WFU) 6-2, 6-0
4. #76 Elaine Chervinsky (VA) def. Nevena Carton (WFU) 6-0, 6-3
5. Melodie Collard (VA) def. Sankavi Gownder (WFU) 6-3, 6-4
6. Whitley Pate (WFU) def. Zara Larke (VA) 6-2, 3-6, 6-2

Doubles competition

1. #14 Melodie Collard/Elaine Chervinsky (VA) def. #79 Marcella Cruz/Brooke Killingsworth (WFU) 6-4
2. #18 Natasha Subhash/Hibah Shaikh (VA) def. Whitley Pate/Casie Wooten (WFU) 6-2
3. Sara Ziodato/Meggie Navarro (VA) def. Sankavi Gownder/Mia Ahmad (WFU) 6-2

Order of finish: Doubles (3,2,1); Singles (3,4,5,2,1,6)
T-2:44 A-258