The No. 25 Virginia women's tennis team dominated No. 55 Marshall and No. 66 Winthrop in back-to-back matches Saturday at the Boar's Head Sports Club. The Cavaliers beat Marshall 6-1 and then capped the day with a 7-0 victory against Winthrop to stretch their season-opening winning streak to six matches.
Virginia (6-0) surpassed its previous record of four wins to start a season with the triumph against Marshall. The Cavaliers did not get caught looking ahead to next weekend's ITA National Team Indoors; instead, they put on a clinic by dismantling Marshall and Winthrop with a workmanlike team performance.
"We're all impressed with the tennis but also with the way the kids are approaching everything, so we're developing nicely," coach Mark Guilbeau said.
The Cavaliers started quickly in doubles against Marshall (7-2) as the team of sophomore Erin Vierra and junior Lindsey Hardenbergh cruised to an 8-0 win. Sophomore Maria Fuccillo and freshman Rashmi Teltumbde won just as convincingly, 8-1, to clinch the doubles point.
"Rashmi and I are working on some things," Fuccillo said. "Rashmi played real well. She served well, returned well and set me up for some [plays]. I'm glad we were able to pull it out."
In singles, Virginia equally proved up to the task by winning five matches in straight sets. Junior Emily Fraser led the way at No. 1 singles with a 6-1, 6-1 win against No. 27-ranked senior Michaela Kissell, Marshall's best player.
The Cavaliers' sole loss occurred in a scintillating battle between Virginia sophomore Hana Tomljanovic and Marshall sophomore Dominika Zaprazna at the No. 2 position. Zaprazna ultimately triumphed, 12-10, after a 10-point tiebreak, but the encouraging yells from a large contingent of fans gathering around the court provided Tomljanovic with plenty of energy.
During the tiebreak, Tomljanovic's overpowering volleys frustrated Zaprazna, who argued with the umpire about a disputed ball that hit near the line. Although Tomljanovic stayed even-keeled, she struggled with her ball placement, and her inability to keep the ball in play proved decisive in her defeat.
"It's tough because you ultimately don't get the win there," Guilbeau said. "When she steps away from it, she'll realize she did some things really well today. She showed that she get can go up there [to No. 2]."
When the Cavaliers resumed play against Winthrop (5-6) two hours after the conclusion of the first match, they immediately returned to their earlier dominance. The tandem of Vierra and Hardenbergh again won, 8-0, and their teammates did their part to sweep all three doubles matches.
While the lineup remained the same for Virginia in doubles, Guilbeau made some adjustments prior to the start of singles in order to give his younger players an opportunity to contribute. Teltumbde and fellow freshman Marjorie Baker were inserted into the lineup at No. 5 and No. 6, respectively, and both players cruised to convincing victories in straight sets.
Initially, it appeared that the Winthrop match was destined to follow the same script as the Marshall match. The Cavaliers clinched the victory with five singles wins in rapid succession, but appeared headed for a loss in another tiebreak in the final match of the day. Vierra and Winthrop sophomore Giovanna Portioli were deadlocked after two sets and played another tiebreaker to determine the outcome.
"I was really fatiguing at the end of the second set," Vierra, who played all four matches Saturday, said. "I just tried to focus all my energy into every single point and really leave it all out there. I [added] a little pace to throw her off since she started to get in a groove."
Vierra fell behind 5-2 but closed the lead to 8-7. On the verge of defeat, Vierra won three straight points, capped by a hard-hit return on the final point to triumph 10-8 in the tiebreak and complete the sweep for Virginia.
The Cavaliers begin play for the ITA National Team Indoors Friday at the Boar's Head Sports Club.
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