Tech drops 4-3 heartbreaker to No. 23 Wake Forest

The Hokies captured the doubles point for the first time since Feb. 25, but ultimately fell to the Demon Deacons giving up four matches in singles play

March 19, 2017

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(15) Oregon State	1
Virginia Tech	2
Box Score

BLACKSBURG – After a three-match road swing, the Virginia Tech women’s tennis team dropped its third straight 4-3 loss in Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) play to No. 23 Wake Forest, Sunday afternoon, at the Burrows-Burleson Tennis Center in Blacksburg, Virginia.

Tech (7-6, 0-4 ACC) won the doubles point for the first time since Feb. 25, but it wasn’t enough, as Wake Forest (12-4, 3-2 ACC) captured four of six singles matches to secure the victory.

The Hokies started off strong and recorded back-to-back wins on courts two and three, respectively, to clinch the doubles point. Elena Cerezo-Codina and Natalie Novotna made quick work of their opponent, defeating Wake Forest’s Chandler Carter and Emma Davis, 6-2, on court two. Sansitha Nandakumar and Luisa Uscocovich paired together for the second time this season, also besting Wake Forest’s Alexis Franco and Courtney Meredith by a score of 6-3 on court three.

Leading the Demon Deacons 1-0, Wake Forest’s Joanna Zalewski retired in the second set to give Caroline Daxhelet the victory on court four. However, Nandakumar suffered a 6-0, 6-4 setback on court five to Carter, cutting the Demon Deacon’s deficit to one.

Cerezo-Codina then had a tremendous victory at the No. 3 position, earning a straight-set win over Wake Forest’s Anna Ulyashchenko, 7-5, 6-2, to put the Hokies up 3-1 on the scoreboard.

A decision on court six quickly followed, as Nancy Ghanem fell to Wake Forest’s Luisa Fernandez in straights by a score of 6-4, 6-4.

With the Hokies holding a 3-2 lead, all eyes turned to No. 93 Francesca Fusinato on court one and No. 99 Novotna on court three. However, Fusinato could not hold on, as she dropped a heartbreaking 7-6 (7-3), 7-5 loss to Wake Forest’s Kimmy Guerin, ranked No. 50 nationally by the Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA), at the No. 1 position.

With the match tied at three-all, Novotna entered into a three-set tiebreaker. She prevailed in the first set, but dropped the next two, falling to Davis by a score of 6-7 (7-2), 6-2, 6-4 to give the Demon Deacons the victory. Of note, Novotna suffered her first loss of the season. She currently holds a 11-1 record in singles action – a team-best mark.

Up next, the Hokies will hit the road once again, as the squad swings through North Carolina for a pair of ACC matches. Tech will square off against North Carolina on Friday, March 24, followed by a match against Duke on Sunday, March 26. The match against the Tar Heels will start at 3 p.m., while the contest against the Blue Devils will begin at noon.

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: Kimmy Guerin/Anna Ulyashchenko (WF) def. Caroline Daxhelet/Francesca Fusinato (VT), 6-2

No. 2: Natalie Novotna/Elena Cerezo-Codina (VT) def. Chandler Carter/Emma Davis (WF), 6-2

No. 3: Sansitha Nandakumar/Luisa Uscocovich (VT) def. Alexis Franco/Courtney Meredith (WF), 6-3

Singles Competition:

No. 1: #50 Kimmy Guerin (WF) def. #93 Francesca Fusinato (VT), 7-6 (7-3), 7-5

No. 2: Emma Davis (WF) def. #99 Natalie Novotna (VT), 6-7 (7-2), 6-2, 6-4

No. 3: Elena Cerezo-Codina (VT) def. Anna Ulyashchenko (WF), 7-5, 6-2

No. 4: Caroline Daxhelet (VT) def. Joanna Zalewski (WF), 6-4, 4-1 retired

No. 5: Chandler Carter (WF) def. Sansitha Nandakumar (VT), 6-0, 6-4

No. 6: Luisa Fernandez (WF) def. Nancy Ghanem (VT), 6-4, 6-4

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

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