CARY, N.C. – The No. 7 Virginia women’s tennis team (21-4, 12-0 ACC) won 4-2 against No. 18 Duke (18-7, 10-2 ACC) in the semifinals of the 2026 ACC Women's Tennis Championship on Saturday (April 18) at the Cary Tennis Park.
The top-seeded Cavaliers advance to the final, where they'll face third-seeded NC State at 2 p.m. Sunday (April 19).
The Cavaliers began the match with a 6-3 win from No. 27 Annabelle Xu and Martina Genis Salas on doubles court two. The fourth-seeded Blue Devils responded with a win on the top court, but Virginia prevailed as sophomore Isabelle Lacy and freshman Kaitlyn Rolls battled to take court three in a tiebreaker, clinching the 1-0 lead with their 7-6 (5) win on three.
Duke took singles court five to even the score at 1-1, but No. 114 Lacy dominated 6-2, 6-2 on four to put Virginia right back on top.
The Blue Devils then took court one to tie the match score once again before No. 29 Annabelle Xu won 6-3, 6-4 against No. 48 Aspen Schuman on court two to give Virginia a 3-2 advantage. No. 83 Rolls provided the match clincher for the Hoos with her 7-5, 6-4 victory over No. 117 Liv Hovde on court three.
MATCH NOTES
- The Cavaliers' win streak improves to 15 matches.
- Virginia advances to the ACC Championship final for the third consecutive season.
- Virginia won both matches this season against Duke. The Hoos previously won 4-2 in regular-season action in Charlottesville on March 27.
- Kaitlyn Rolls leads Virginia with a 16-5 record this spring, including a 6-1 mark on court three.
- Annabelle Xu improves to 10-5 playing on courts one and two.
- Isabelle Lacy is 12-3 this season, going 8-1 on court four.
- Martina Genis Salas and Annabelle Xu have won their last five completed matches, sporting a 15-5 record on doubles court two.
- Virginia has defeated NC State once already this season, downing the Wolfpack 4-2 in Charlottesville on April 12 to clinch the outright ACC regular season title.
- The Cavaliers are looking for their third ACC title.
UP NEXT
- The Cavaliers take on NC State in the ACC Women's Tennis Championship final on Sunday (April 19) at 2 p.m. at the Cary Tennis Park.
#7 Virginia 4, #18 Duke 2
Singles competition
1. #14 Irina Balus (DUKE) def. #61 Vivian Yang (VA) 7-6 (7-3), 6-0
2. #29 Annabelle Xu (VA) def. #48 Aspen Schuman (DUKE) 6-3, 6-4
3. #83 Katie Rolls (VA) def. #117 Liv Hovde (DUKE) 7-5, 6-4
4. #114 Isabelle Lacy (VA) def. Claire An (DUKE) 6-2, 6-2
5. Shavit Kimchi (DUKE) def. #122 Martina Genis Salas (VA) 6-1, 6-1
6. Melodie Collard (VA) vs. #124 Eleana Yu (DUKE) 6-7 (4-7), 3-2 UF
Doubles competition
1. Shavit Kimchi/Irina Balus (DUKE) def. #8 Melodie Collard/Vivian Yang (VA) 6-4
2. #27 Annabelle Xu/Martina Genis Salas (VA) def. #71 Claire An/Eleana Yu (DUKE) 6-3
3. Isabelle Lacy/Katie Rolls (VA) def. Liv Hovde/Aspen Schuman (DUKE) 7-6 (7-5)
Order of finish: Doubles (2,1,3); Singles (5,4,1,2,3)