Tech concludes ITA Kickoff Weekend with a 4-2 victory

Tech bounced back in fine fashion, improving its overall record to 3-1 on the year

January 28, 2017

	F
Syracuse	41
Virginia Tech	36
Box Score

BLACKSBURG – After dropping its first match of the young 2017 season at No. 9 Vanderbilt yesterday, the Virginia Tech women’s tennis team got back on track with a 4-2 win over Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) foe Clemson on Saturday in an ITA Kickoff Weekend consolation match, held on Vanderbilt’s campus in Nashville, Tennessee.

“I am very proud of our team for bouncing back strong against a great ACC opponent,” said coach Terry Ann Zawacki-Woods. “We showed a lot of heart and fight in each match, and I am proud of the way we found solutions and played smart throughout the morning. We will continue to build off each match, as we look forward to getting back at it again next weekend at Purdue.”

The Hokies (3-1) handed the Tigers (2-2) their second straight loss of the season, as the squad got off to a quick start in doubles play and never looked back.

Senior Francesca Fusinato and junior Katherine Butler made quick work of Clemson’s Sydney Riley and Fernanda Navarro, claiming a 6-2 victory on court two. Clemson then pulled even with a 6-3 win by Marie Leduc and Ayan Broomfield, ranked No. 44 nationally, on court three.

With the doubles point tied at one apiece, senior Sansitha Nandakumar and freshman Natalie Novotna quickly answered on court three, downing the Tiger duo of Constanza Gorches and Daniela Ruiz, 6-3, to deliver the doubles point to the Hokies.

In singles action, Novotna, Fusinato and junior Elena Cerezo-Codina each collected victories on their respective courts to claim the match.

On court three, Novotna bested Navarro in straight sets (6-1, 6-2) and recorded her third consecutive victory in Hokie uniform to give the Hokies a 2-0 advantage. Today’s victory also marked her second win at the No. 3 slot.

Shortly after Novotna’s match finished, Butler dropped a 6-1, 6-3 decision to Gorches at the No. 5 position, cutting the Tigers deficit to one. However, Cerezo-Codina was not far behind, as she picked up a 6-4, 7-5 victory over No. 84 Leduc on court two, marking her second victory of the spring season.

Holding a 3-1 advantage over the Tigers, all eyes turned to court four, as No. 47 Caroline Daxhelet entered a three-set battle with Riley. Daxhelet dropped the first set, but only gave up four games in the second to force the match into three sets. Unfortunately, Daxhelet could not pull off the come-from-behind victory, eventually falling to Riley by a score of 6-3, 4-6, 7-6 (7-2).

Only needing one more point to win the match, Fusinato answered the call for the Hokies on court one. She prevailed in a three-set battle, as she upset Clemson’s No. 40 Broomfield to win the Hokies fourth match point of the day (5-7, 6-4, 7-5).

“It was a great team effort today,” Fusinato said. “We always look forward to playing Clemson, and this year, we were able to take them down early.”

Of note, Nandakumar competed at the No. 6 slot, but her match was halted after the fourth match point was won.

Tech will hit the road once again, as the team travels to West Lafayette, Indiana, for a nonconference match against Purdue on Saturday, Feb. 4. The match is set to begin at 12 p.m.

Fans can follow all the action during each match of the 2017 season by following the squad on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.

Doubles Competition:

No. 1: #44 Marie Leduc/Ayan Broomfield (CU) def. #59 Caroline Daxhelet/Elena Cerezo-Codina (Tech), 6-3

No. 2: Katherine Butler/Francesca Fusinato (Tech) def. Sydney Riley/Fernanda Navarro (CU), 6-2

No. 3: Natalie Novotna/Sansitha Nandakumar (Tech) def. Constanza Gorches/Daniela Ruiz (CU), 6-3

Singles Competition:

No. 1: Francesca Fusinato (Tech) def. #40 Ayan Broomfield (CU), 5-7, 6-4, 7-5

No. 2: Elena Cerezo-Codina (Tech) def. #84 Marie Leduc (CU), 6-4, 7-5

No. 3: Natalie Novotna (Tech) def. Fernanda Navarro (CU), 6-1, 6-2

No. 4: Sydney Riley (CU) def. #47 Caroline Daxhelet (Tech), 6-3, 4-6, 7-6 (7-2)

No. 5: Constanza Gorches (CU) def. Katherine Butler (Tech), 6-1, 6-3

No. 6: Sansitha Nandakumar (Tech) vs. A Miller-Krasilnikov (CU), 7-5, 4-3 unfinished

Order of Finish: Doubles (2,1,3); Singles (3,5,2,4,1)

For updates on Virginia Tech women's tennis, follow the Hokies on Twitter Follow @VT_WTennis