No. 44 Tech tops Old Dominion, 5-2, in nonconference finale

The Hokies posted their third consecutive win of the season, improving to 4-1 overall at home

February 25, 2017

BLACKSBURG – The No. 44 Virginia Tech women’s tennis team closed its nonconference slate with a 5-2 win over Old Dominion on Saturday at the Burrows-Burleson Tennis Center.

The Hokies (7-2) posted their third consecutive win of the season and improved their overall record at home to 4-1 on the year.

In doubles action, Tech won back-to-back matches to take an early 1-0 advantage over the Monarchs (6-3). Senior Sansitha Nandakumar and freshman Natalie Novotna claimed a 6-2 decision right off the bat, defeating ODU’s Borislava Botusharova and Marijana Novakovic at the No. 3 slot. Senior Francesca Fusinato and junior Katherine Butler followed suit, besting ODU’s Adriana Rajkovic and Natalya Malenko in a 7-5 tiebreak decision to tally their fifth win on court two – a team-best mark.

Leading the Monarchs 1-0, the Hokies wasted little time, as they recorded four of six singles victories to claim the match. Novotna picked up the pace on court three and cruised past Rajkovic in straight sets (6-2, 6-2), followed by No. 92 Caroline Daxhelet’s 6-1, 6-2 victory over Malenko on court four.

With the Hokies up 3-0, Nandakumar and Elena Cerezo-Codina stumbled at the No. 6 and No. 2 slots, respectively, to cut the Monarchs deficit to one. Nandakumar dropped a 6-2, 6-4 setback on court six, while Cerezo-Codina fell in a three-set battle to No. 66 Holly Hutchinson on court two. Cerezo-Codina did not give up a game in the first set, but could not overcome Hutchinson in the next two sets to claim the victory, ultimately falling by a score of 0-6, 6-4, 7-6 (4).

Only needing one more point to win the match, Fusinato answered the call for the Hokies with a three-set match on court one. She dropped the first set, but bounced back in the final two sets to claim the victory over No. 112 Botusharova (3-6, 7-5, 7-6 (4)). Of note, Fusinato defeated her third ranked opponent of the season.

With the match decided, Nancy Ghanem bested ODU’s Ingrid Vojcinakova on court five (4-6, 6-3, 6-3).

Tech will hit the road for a pair of Atlantic Coast Conference matches this week. The team will square off against No. 11 Georgia Tech on Friday, March 3 at 3 p.m., followed by a match against in-state rival No. 50 Virginia on Sunday, March 5 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
No. 1: Caroline Daxhelet/Elena Cerezo-Codina (Tech) vs. Holly Hutchinson/ Ingrid Vojcinakova (ODU), 5-5
No. 2: Katherine Butler/Francesca Fusinato (Tech) def. Adriana Rajkovic/Natalya Malenko (ODU), 7-5
No. 3: Sansitha Nandakumar/Natalie Novotna (Tech) def. Borislava Botusharova/Marijana Novakovic (ODU), 6-2

Singles
No. 1: Francesca Fusinato (Tech) def. #112 Borislava Botusharova (ODU), 3-6, 7-5, 7-6 (4)
No. 2: #68 Holly Hutchinson (ODU) def. Elena Cerezo-Codina (Tech), 0-6, 6-4, 7-6 (4)
No. 3: Natalie Novotna (Tech) def. Adriana Rajkovic (ODU), 6-2, 6-2
No. 4: #92 Caroline Daxhelet (Tech) def. Natalya Malenko (ODU), 6-1, 6-2
No. 5: Nancy Ghanem (Tech) def. Ingrid Vojcinakova (ODU), 4-6, 6-3, 6-3
No. 6: Eliska Petrackova (ODU) def. Sansitha Nandakumar (Tech), 6-2, 6-4

Order of finish: Doubles (3,2); Singles (3,4,6, 2,1,5)

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