Hokies hit the road for a pair of ACC matches

Tech will square off against Boston College on Friday, followed by a match against Pittsburgh on Sunday

April 6, 2017

BLACKSBURG – The Virginia Tech women’s tennis team will hit the road and square off against Boston College and Pittsburgh this weekend for its final two-match road swing of the year.

Tech (8-9, 1-7 ACC) will square off against Boston College (8-9, 3-6 ACC) on Friday, April 7, followed by a match against Pittsburgh (3-10, 0-9 ACC) on Sunday, April 9. The match against the Eagles will start at 2 p.m., while the contest against the Panthers will begin at 11 a.m.

Last week, Tech rallied in singles action and knocked off Louisville, 4-2, at the Burrows-Burleson Tennis Center, notching its first Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) win of the season and snapping a seven-match losing streak. The Hokies actually trailed 2-0 before freshman Natalie Novotna cut the lead to 2-1. Senior Francesca Fusinato and junior Elena Cerezo-Codina then won to give the Hokies the lead, and Tech junior Katherine Butler iced the win with a 5-7, 6-1, 7-5 victory at the No. 6 spot.

“The team has responded well this week in practice, and we are looking to carry the momentum from last match to Boston College and Pitt this weekend,” said coach Terry-Ann Zawacki-Woods. “As with every conference match, we expect great tennis, and we look forward to another opportunity for our team.”

Of note, Fusinato moved up 16 spots to No. 92 in this week’s Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) top-125 poll. The Feltre Belluno, Italy, native has won five of her last seven matches at the No. 1 slot, upsetting three ranked opponents in the process. Novotna also checked in at No. 104 in this week’s ITA top-125 poll. The Vysoka nad Labem, Czech Republic, native holds a team-best 13-3 mark, primarily playing at the No. 2 position.

Additionally, Fusinato and Daxhelet entered the ITA doubles poll for the first time this season, checking in at No. 55. The Hokie duo boasts a 3-3 mark on the year, playing primarily at the No. 1 slot. The doubles tandem have upset two top-35 opponents since March 12, most recently taking down Duke’s then-No. 26 Meible Chi and Kaitlyn McCarthy on March 26.

Last season, the Hokies defeated the Eagles, 7-0, on Feb. 28 in Blacksburg, Virginia.

Boston College most recently fell to Florida State, 5-2, on March 31 in Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts. The Eagles went up 2-0 early on, but then dropped four straight three-set matches in singles play to hand the Seminoles the victory. Dasha Possokhova leads the team with 10 singles victories, followed by Lexi Borr and Kylie Wilcox with eight wins each. The doubles tandem of Possokhova and Wilcox also hold a team best 8-7 dual-match record at the No. 1 slot.

Virginia Tech holds a 5-0 all-time series advantage over Pittsburgh. Last season, the Hokies shut out the Panthers, 7-0, on Feb. 27 in Blacksburg, Virginia.

Pittsburgh dropped back-to-back ACC road matches last weekend, falling to then-No. 17 Duke, 7-0, and then-No. 26 N.C. State, 6-1. Pittsburgh’s Natsumi Okamoto picked up the Panthers’ lone win of the weekend, defeating Bianca Moldovan of N.C. State on court six. Callie Frey, Gabriela Rezende and Amber Washington each boast 14 victories throughout the 2016-17 season. The doubles tandem of Frey and Washington also hold a team high 16-11 overall record throughout the year.

Of note, Pittsburgh will play No. 28 Wake Forest in an ACC matchup Friday afternoon before Virginia Tech comes to town on Sunday.

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

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