Virginia Defeats Virginia Commonwealth, 4-2, In NCAA First-Round Action On Friday

May 11, 2007

CLEMSON, SC – The Virginia Cavaliers held on to defeat Virginia Commonwealth, 4-2, on Friday afternoon in the opening round of the 2007 NCAA Women’s Tennis Tournament, held at the Hoke Sloan Tennis Center on the campus of Clemson University. With the win, the Cavaliers advanced to the regional final for the second straight season, where they will take on the #7 overall seed and host Clemson Tigers on Saturday at 11:00 am.

Virginia now owns a 12-11 record for the 2007 season, while the Rams ended their year with a 21-9 overall ledger.

“I thought it was a very good match,” Virginia Head Coach Mark Guilbeau said. “Both teams played extremely well and I’m excited about tomorrow’s rematch with Clemson.”

Virginia captured the doubles point to notch the first tally of the afternoon match. The Cavalier team of Amanda Rales and Brintney Larson won the first match at the flight three position as the duo defeated Lena Leonchuk and Maria Klokotzky by an 8-2 margin. The Rams then won at the top position to knot the score. Marianna Yuferova and Olga Borisova partnered to post an 8-2 victory over the Virginia tandem of Caroline Hammond and Lara Alexander.

Kristen McVitty and Jennifer Stevens then gave the Cavaliers the doubles victory with their 8-5 win against Vera Petrashevich and Tatsiana Uvarova.

Virginia then took a 2-0 lead in the match as Stevens upset 29th-ranked Uvarova at the number one spot in straight sets, 6-2, 6-2. Virginia Commonwealth then battled back to tie the match score at two points apiece with wins at flights two and four. Borisova claimed a 6-2, 6-1 victory over Larson at the fourth position to post the Rams’ first point of the afternoon, while Yuferova defeated Maggie Yahner at number two, 6-2, 6-2.

The Cavaliers again gained the advantage as Lindsey Pereira recorded a 7-5, 6-2 victory over Klokotzky at flight five. McVitty then clinched the victory for Virginia with a win at flight three. She claimed the first set by a 6-4 margin and came back from a 2-0 deficit in the second frame to post a 6-4 victory.

#45 Virginia 4, #29 Virginia Commonwealth 2Doubles 1. Yuferova/Borisova (VCU) def. Hammond/Alexander (UVA), 8-2 2. McVitty/Stevens (UVA) def. Petrashevitch/Uvarova (VCU), 8-5 3. Rales/Larson (UVA) def. Leonchuk/Klokotzky (VCU), 8-2 Order of Finish – 3, 1, 2Singles 1. Jennifer Stevens (UVA) def. #29 Tatsiana Uvarova (VCU), 6-2, 6-2 2. #100 Marianna Yuferova (VCU) def. Maggie Yahner (UVA), 6-2, 6-2 *3. Kristen McVitty (UVA) def. Viktoria Konstantinova (VCU), 6-4, 6-4 4. Olga Borisova (VCU) vs. Brintney Larson (UVA), 6-2, 6-1 5. Lindsey Pereira (UVA) def. Maria Klokotzky (VCU), 7-5, 6-2 6. Lena Leonchuk (VCU) vs. Caroline Hammond (UVA), dnf Order of Finish – 1, 4, 2, 5, 3 * – Clinched match Records: Virginia 12-11; Virginia Commonwealth 21-9