No. 7 Virginia’s season came to a close Saturday afternoon with a 4-1 loss to No. 10 LSU in the NCAA round of 16. A handful of key games ultimately proved to be the difference, as the Tigers (22-9, 8-7 SEC) took the doubles point then won on their three best singles courts to upset the Cavaliers (23-6, 15-0 ACC) in Charlottesville.
Virginia got off to a strong start in doubles, taking a quick lead at Line 1 while Lines 2 and 3 stayed at a deadlock. On Court 1, No. 10 graduate student Melodie Collard and junior Vivian Yang got up a break early, building a 3-1 lead and then breaking again at 5-3 to put the Cavaliers on the board. Collard and Yang were both excellent at the net, ending points with precise and decisive volleys to give Virginia the advantage. The win carried added value for Collard — tying the program record for career doubles wins with 129 over five seasons.
Both Line 2 and Line 3 stayed at a stalemate until late, with both courts tied at 4-4 when Collard and Yang wrapped up their win. Two games later, both courts were tied at 5-5. LSU then won key games on both to get up 6-5, including a break on Court 3.
The Tigers then evened doubles at one apiece with a win at Line 3, as sophomore Isabelle Lacy and freshman Katie Rolls were unable to break their opponents in the final game to force a tiebreak. A similar result then came on Court 2, where No. 25 senior Annabelle Xu and sophomore Martina Genis Salas also fell 7-5, giving LSU a 1-0 advantage heading into singles.
Key late breaks in doubles ultimately got the Tigers that much-needed cushion entering singles play. LSU then won four of six first sets, forcing the Cavaliers to play from behind for the remainder of the match.
The Tigers were quick to make it a 2-0 affair, scoring a quick point on their best court. No. 77 sophomore Ella McDonald — who holds only two losses on Court 3 this season — narrowly won a tough first set against No. 84 Rolls, winning it 7-5 off the back of a key late break. In the second set, McDonald seized momentum early, never relinquishing it as she forced errors from Virginia’s lead point-scorer en route to a 7-5, 6-1 win.
Not long afterwards, LSU got within one of the win, notching a straight-set victory on Court 4. No. 96 freshman Addison Lanton had answers for most of No. 119 Lacy’s weapons, hitting powerful serves and winning points with big forehands. Though Lacy began to find her shots more in the second set, Lanton ultimately came out on top with a 6-4, 6-3 win.
The Cavaliers then scored their lone point of the day on Court 2, where No. 28 Xu, playing her final game at Virginia, defeated No. 21 sophomore Kayla Cross 6-3, 6-3. Winning points with speed and aggression, Xu fired backhands with confidence and forced mistakes from her Tiger opponent. Winning three straight games on deuce to end the first set, Xu’s win put Virginia on the board as they attempted to rally on the three other courts.
On Court 5, Collard, also playing her final match as a Cavalier, had won the first set 7-5, hitting slices and volleys with pinpoint accuracy and forcing her opponent to sprint around the court. Down a game in the second set, Collard was looking to pull away and win in straight sets to keep Virginia alive.
The Cavaliers had also found momentum on Court 6, where Genis Salas had lost the first set 6-4 but flipped the script to take the second 6-1. Adapting well in the middle of rallies, Genis Salas had found a strong rhythm, and was trailing 1-0 in the third when the match eventually ended.
Though Virginia was looking to build its comeback on the lower courts, LSU found its final point on Court 1. There, No. 9 sophomore Cadence Brace found an early break against No. 65 Yang in the second set, which eventually made all the difference and ended the Cavaliers’ season.
After losing the first set 6-1 to Brace’s heavy forehands and hard-hit serves, Yang had found a better rhythm in the second, forcing Brace into longer rallies and making fewer mistakes. An early break gave Brace an advantage in the second set, and though Yang secured a clutch hold down 5-3 before forcing deuce on Brace’s serve, a groundstroke into the net sealed the deal, cementing a 4-1 win for the Tigers.
With a peak ranking of No. 7 and an ACC regular season title, the 2026 season was an impressive show of force for Coach Sara O’Leary and the Virginia women’s tennis program. The team will now say goodbye to three graduating seniors — Collard, Xu and senior Meggie Navarro — before returning to action in the fall individual season.
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