@HurricaneTennis Drops First ACC Match at VT
BLACKSBURG, Va. – After playing for nearly seven hours in a 5-2 win at eighth-ranked Virginia Friday, No. 16 Miami took on No. 47 Virginia Tech Sunday morning at the Burrows-Burleson Tennis Center and suffered its first ACC loss of the season.
In a dramatic contest that came down to the final set between junior Stephanie Wagner and Francesca Fusinato, Miami (11-4, 7-1 ACC) was unable to come away with the victory, falling 4-3.
“That’s the beauty of sports, if you don’t show up ready to play you typically lose,” Miami head coach Paige Yaroshuk-Tews said. “Some days you’re the hammer and some days you’re the nail. Today we chose to be the nail. Maybe we’ll learn—let’s see, that’s not up to me.”
The Hurricanes opened the afternoon securing the doubles point with relative ease. On court two freshman Sinead Lohan and Wagner first dispatched Carolina Daxhelet and Francesca Fusinato, 8-3.
The veteran tandem of senior Monique Albuquerque and junior Clementina Riobueno, ranked No. 29, followed suit by defeating Raluca Mita and Kelly Williford, 8-2, giving the point to Miami. Junior Lina Lileikite and freshman Wendy Zhang led 7-4 over Elena Cerezo-Codina and Sansitha Nandakumar when their match ended.
No. 125 Lileikite made the Miami advantage 2-0 after defeating Daxhelet in straight sets, 6-2, 6-2. Virginia Tech (12-5, 4-4 ACC) responded with a straight set victory of its own, as Cerezo-Codina defeated No. 63 Riobueno 6-4, 6-3.
After winning her first set 6-0, No. 96 Zhang fell to Mita 6-1 in the second set. The freshman showed maturity, answering with a 6-1 victory in the third set, giving Miami a 3-1 advantage.
Virginia Tech then won two consecutive matches. Williford defeated Silvia Fuentes 7-5, 6-4 and that was followed by a comeback victory from No. 106 Ilinca Stoica on court one, defeating No. 36 Lohan 4-6, 6-0, 6-3.
With the score tied at three, the sixth-ranked Wagner was trailing in the second set of her match against No. 86 Fusinato after the losing the first set, but extended the match, winning the second set 7-5. In the third set, Fulsinato got the best of Wagner for a 6-3, 5-7, 6-3 win and the Hokies came away with the victory over the Hurricanes, 4-3.
The Hurricanes return to action Thursday, April 2 at the Neil Schiff Tennis Center when they host No. 17 Duke at 5 p.m. Live stats for the match will be available HERE.
To keep up with the match on Twitter, as well as learn more about University of Miami women’s tennis, follow @HurricaneTennis.
RESULTS
Singles Competition
1. No. 106 Ilinca Stoica (VT) def. No. 36 Sinead Lohan (Miami), 4-6, 6-0, 6-3
2. No. 86 Francesca Fusinato (VT) def. No. 6 Stephanie Wagner (Miami), 6-3, 5-7, 6-3
3. Elena Cerezo-Codina (VT) def. No. 63 Clementina Riobueno (Miami), 6-4, 6-3
4. No. 125 Lina Lileikite (Miami) def. Caroline Daxhelet (VT), 6-1, 6-2
5. Kelly Williford (VT) def. Silvia Fuentes (Miami), 7-5, 6-4
6. No. 96 Wendy Zhang (Miami) def. Raluca Mita (VT), 6-0, 1-6, 6-1
Doubles Competition
1. No. 29 Monique Albuquerque/Clementina Riobueno (Miami) def. Raluca Mita/Kelly Williford (VT), 8-2
2. Sinead Lohan/Stephanie Wagner (Miami) def. Caroline Daxhelet/Francesca Fusinato (VT), 8-3
3. Lina Lileikite/Wendy Zhang (Miami) def. Elena Cerezo-Codina/Sansitha Nandakumar (VT), 7-4, unfinished
