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Fourth-ranked women's tennis stretches win-streak to eight

Virginia dominates NC State, Wake Forest

The No. 4 Virginia women’s tennis team completed its second consecutive weekend sweep, extended its winning streak to a school-best eight matches with victories Saturday and Sunday. The Cavaliers (17-4, 11-1 ACC) first defeated NC State (7-12, 1-11) before handing a 6-1 loss to No. 66 Wake Forest (11-11, 3-10) Sunday.

Looking for their second ACC win of the season, the Wolfpack came out strong for doubles. Sophomore Rachael James-Baker and freshman Liza Fieldsend earned the first victory, defeating sophomores Danielle Collins and Maci Epstein, 8-6. After an 8-4 victory on second court, freshmen Rachel Pierson and Marie Faure battled juniors Nicole Martinez and Elisha Hande to secure the doubles point with an 8-7(10-8) victory.

The Cavaliers crushed any hopes of a NC State comeback with dominating performances in singles play. Virginia came out strong on all courts and Pierson clinched the match with a victory against Martinez on court three, giving the Cavaliers their fifth shutout of the season.

Virginia continued its strong play Sunday when the team traveled to Winston-Salem to take on the Demon Deacons. Senior Li Xi and sophomore Stephanie Nauta recorded the first doubles point for the Cavaliers by defeating sophomores Xue Zhang and Kasey Gardiner, 8-3. Collins and Epstein then earned an 8-4 victory against freshmen Luisa Fernandez and Samantha Asch to clinch the doubles point.

In singles, Virginia got a pair of 6-1, 6-1 victories from Nauta and Collins to bring the lead to 3-0. Epstein clinched the match with a 6-2, 6-2 victory against Asch, with senior Caryssa Peretz also tallying a victory for the Cavaliers. Virginia’s only loss came at the third court where Pierson fell to Fernandez 6-4, 1-6, 1-0 (10-4).

The Cavaliers continue their road stretch next week, travelling to Florida to take on No. 45 Florida State and No. 16 Miami April 18-20.

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