The No. 24 Virginia women's tennis team dominated two opponents Saturday, defeating visiting Brown (0-1, 0-0 Ivy) and Richmond (0-1, 0-0 A-10) by 7-0 scores. After a more difficult morning start against Brown, the Cavaliers (2-0, 0-0 ACC) breezed through the day's second match without dropping a set.
"I thought we had a little bit of a slow start, but we worked our way into and got through that match," junior Emily Fraser said.
The Cavaliers' doubles team of Fraser and sophomore Hana Tomljanovich began the day with an evenly played battle against Brown's tandem of freshman Jessica Harrow and senior Bianca Aboubakare. Tied at five apiece, Fraser and Tomljanovich finally pulled away by holding serve, then breaking the Bears in the 12th game to win 8-5.
In the singles portion of play, three Cavaliers went to decisive third sets before claiming victory. Fraser defeated Aboubakare in No. 1 singles 7-6, 6-4 after falling into a 0-4 hole in the first set. Sophomore Erin Vierra outlasted junior Cassandra Herzberg 6-4, 4-6, 7-6(2) to claim a back-and-forth match in No. 3 singles while junior Lindsey Hardenbergh, sophomore Maria Fuccillo, freshman Caryssa Peretz and Tomljanovich completed the sweep.
"[Aboubakare] was really good," Fraser said. "I got down 4-0 early in the first set, but ... I was able to get that first set and pull out the second as well."
After a short break, the Cavaliers returned to play against Richmond using the same doubles lineup from earlier in the day. Virginia coach Mark Guilbeau elected not to make any adjustments because he was not satisfied with the doubles performance against Brown and wanted to see more cohesive play by his team. Fraser and Tomljanovich again played No. 1 and won 8-3, while Fuccillo and freshman Rashmi Teltumbde won 8-4 and the team of Vierra and Hardenbergh came through with an 8-5 victory.
For the singles matches, Guilbeau decided to rest some of his players. Their replacements filled in capably, as freshman Marjorie Baker stepped into the sixth spot to beat Richmond senior Isabel Arana 6-1, 6-0, and Teltumbde translated her doubles success by downing fourth-ranked junior Joanna Matuszczyk 6-2, 6-2.
Because of the rigors of playing two matches in one day, eight players were given the opportunity to contribute to the team's success. Hardenbergh, Fuccillo and Tomljanovich faced the toughest assignments, being asked to play both singles and doubles against Brown and Richmond.
"I'm kind of used to [playing that much tennis]," Hardenbergh said. "We work really hard to get in shape so it's not anything too excessive, [and] it makes us stronger. Two wins in one day just propels us forward."
Arguably the most impressive player of the day was Fuccillo, who never lost a set in her four matches and conceded only five games total.
"Maria ... has been a real bright spot," Guilbeau said. "You're talking about a non-scholarship player who's working her rear end off ... She's 15-1, I believe, on the season, and she's nationally ranked. She's more than proven herself."
Overall, the Cavaliers looked the part of a team ranked 24th nationally, albeit against two weakened opponents. Guilbeau said Brown was hindered in its preparation for the match as snow collapsed the roof of the team's practice facility last week and Richmond has been dealing with some illnesses. Virginia, however, did its part in ensuring that neither team was able to pull off an early-season upset.
The Cavaliers will hit the road Saturday for a noon match against Wake Forest.
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