CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – Georgia Tech women’s tennis claimed the first two singles matches, but No. 2 Virginia rallied back to take the match, 4-2, on Sunday afternoon. The loss dipped Tech to 6-5 overall and 1-1 in Atlantic Coast Conference play.
DOUBLES
Virginia escaped with the doubles point, collecting the lead to enter singles play. The Yellow Jackets grabbed a quick decision on court three as Kate Sharabura and Taly Licht downed Sara Ziodato and Meggie Navarro, 6-1. But the Cavaliers pulled out narrow victories on courts two and three for the early lead. On court two, Tech’s duo of Alejandra Cruz and Given Roach rallied back from an early 2-4 deficit to move back on serve at 4-all against Martina Genis Salas and Annabelle Xu. But the Cavaliers claimed the next two games for the match, 6-4.
With the doubles matches split, the point came down to court one where Kylie Bilchev and Scarlett Nicholson were on serve at 4-4 with Elaine Chervinsky and Melodie Collard. The teams traded the next two games for a 5-5 standstill before Virginia broke and won the next two games to clinch the doubles point with a 7-5 decision.
SINGLES
Georgia Tech won the first two singles matches to finish, gaining a 2-1 lead, but Virginia claimed the next three to seal the win. Competing on court five, Licht jumped out with a 4-2 lead in the first set against Genis Salas. The Jacket rolled to the first set, 6-2, and carried momentum into the second set, winning the match, 6-2, 6-3, to put Georgia Tech on the scoreboard and tie the score, 1-1.
The Jackets gained the lead for a brief moment when Roach won a straight-set victory on court four. Facing Collard, Roach dominated the first set, 6-1, and opened with a 3-0 lead in the second. The Jacket took the match, 6-1, 6-4, to give Tech a 2-1 match lead.
The lead was short-lived, however, as Virginia won the next three matches on courts one, two and six, to clinch the win at 4-2. Sharabura had split sets, 6-2, 1-6, with Isabelle Lacy on court three and was on serve at 3-3 in the deciding set when the match was clinched.
Georgia Tech continues this road swing with a trip to Clemson on Saturday, March 1. First serve is slated for 12 p.m.
RESULTS
Doubles
1. No. 1 Elaine Chervinsky/Melodie Collard (UVA) def. Kylie Bilchev/Scarlett Nicholson (GT) 7-5*
2. No. 28 Martina Genis Salas/Annabelle Xu (UVA) def. No. 84 Alejandra Cruz/Given Roach (GT) 6-4
3. Kate Sharabura/Taly Licht (GT) def. Sara Ziodato/Meggie Navarro (UVA) 6-1
Order of finish: 3,2,1*
Singles
1. No. 19 Sara Ziodato (UVA) def. No. 74 Scarlett Nicholson (GT) 6-2, 6-3
2. No. 24 Annabelle Xu (UVA) def. No. 115 Alejandra Cruz (GT) 6-4, 6-2*
3. Kate Sharabura (GT) vs. No. 60 Isabelle Lacy (UVA) 6-2, 1-6, 3-3, DNF
4. Given Roach (GT) def. No. 91 Melodie Collard (UVA) 6-1, 6-4
5. Taly Licht (GT) def. Martina Genis Salas (UVA) 6-2, 6-3
6. Blanca Pico Navarro (UVA) def. Olivia Carneiro (GT) 6-1, 6-3
Order of finish: 5,4,1,6,2*
Full Steam Ahead
Full Steam Ahead is a $500 million fundraising initiative to achieve Georgia Tech athletics’ goal of competing for championships at the highest level in the next era of intercollegiate athletics. The initiative will fund transformative projects for Tech athletics, including renovations of Bobby Dodd Stadium at Hyundai Field (the historic home of Georgia Tech football), the Zelnak Basketball Center (the practice and training facility for Tech basketball) and O’Keefe Gymnasium (the venerable home of Yellow Jackets volleyball), as well as additional projects and initiatives to further advance Georgia Tech athletics through program wide-operational support. All members of the Georgia Tech community are invited to visit atfund.org/FullSteamAhead for full details and renderings of the renovation projects, as well as to learn about opportunities to contribute online.
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