Women’s tennis: No. 12 Virginia falls 4-0 to No. 10 Duke

The No. 12 Virginia women’s tennis team (11-8, 6-4 ACC) fell 4-0 to No. 10 Duke (14-3, 7-2 ACC) on Friday (Apr. 1).

The match started under sunny skies at the Snyder Tennis Center but a late afternoon thunderstorm caused the match to be moved indoors to the Boar’s Head Sports Club midway through singles.

The Cavaliers were playing shorthanded as two of their top-three players were sidelined by illness and injury.

“For a long period of today’s match, our team was right there,” said Virginia head coach Mark Guilbeau. “Final scores don’t always accurately portray the closeness of a match and this was actually a very competitive match. I wholeheartedly feel that our team’s spirits today were really strong – our competitive spirit, our emotional spirit and our mental spirit. The team really played with purpose through today’s adversity. Win or lose, the spirit of our kids was really, really strong and I know that can carry us to good places moving forward.”

In doubles, senior Danielle Collins (St. Petersburg, Fla.) and freshman Meghan Kelley (Falmouth, Me.) picked up a big win at No. 1 as the tandem, currently ranked No. 21 in doubles, downed Beatrice Capra and Ellyse Hamlin, currently ranked No. 13, by a 6-2 score. The Blue Devils logged 6-3 and 6-4 wins on No. 2 and No. 3 to secure the point.

The players were deep into the first set of their singles matches when a 48-minute weather delay took place and the action was moved down the road to the indoor courts.

When play resumed, junior Victoria Olivarez (Virginia Beach, Va.) fell 6-3, 6-1 at No. 2 to Chalena Scholl followed by a 6-3, 6-1 victory by Samantha Harris over freshman Erica Susi (Vero Beach, Fla.) at No. 4. Jessia Ho wrapped up a 6-2, 6-3 victory over senior Taylor Wingo (Newport News, Va.) to end the match. Collins was leading 6-2, 5-2 at No. 1 over Capra when her match was abandoned.

Virginia will be back in action on Sunday, April 3, hosting No. 16 Georgia Tech at 12 p.m. at the Snyder Tennis Center. There will be a Sunday Sundae bar with free ice cream for the fans in attendance. Admission for all UVA tennis matches is free.

 

#10 Duke 4, #12 Virginia 0

Singles competition

1. #4 Danielle Collins (VA) vs. #28 Beatrice Capra (DU) 6-2, 5-2, unfinished
2. #92 Chalena Scholl (DU) def. Victoria Olivarez (VA) 6-3, 6-1
3. Meghan Kelley (VA) vs. #35 Kaitlyn McCarthy (DU) 5-7, 1-3, unfinished
4. Samantha Harris (DU) def. Erica Susi (VA) 6-3, 6-1
5. Cassie Mercer (VA) vs. #78 Ellyse Hamlin (DU) 4-6, 3-3, unfinished
6. Jessica Ho (DU) def. Taylor Wingo (VA) 6-2, 6-3

 

Doubles competition

1. #21 Danielle Collins/Meghan Kelley (VA) def. #13 Beatrice Capra/Ellyse Hamlin (DU) 6-2
2. Kaitlyn McCarthy/Samantha Harris (DU) def. Cassie Mercer/Victoria Olivarez (VA) 6-3
3. Chalena Scholl/Alyssa Smith (DU) def. Erica Susi/Taylor Wingo (VA) 6-4

Match Notes:
Order of finish: Doubles (2,1,3); Singles (2,4,6)
48 minute weather delay, moved indoors to finish singles
T-2:12 A-178