ROME, Ga. – The Clemson women’s tennis team (13-12, 3-10 ACC) pulled off a thrilling comeback victory over Virginia tech (6-17, 2-11) in 4-3 fashion. After dropping the doubles point, the Tigers battled to win four singles matches and ultimately win their first ACC Tournament match since 2017.
The doubles point went to the Hokies, as 13th-seeded Virginia Tech took care of business to clinch the point on Courts 2 and 3. The No. 42 ranked pair of Samantha Buyckx and Ali DeSpain held a 5-2 advantage on Court 1 when its match was abandoned.
The No. 58 Tigers came into singles prepared to battle and mount a comeback. Dani Medvedeva got Clemson on the board with a 6-4, 6-3 win on Court 3. Virginia Tech maintained the advantage, taking Courts 2 and 4, but Eleni Louka kept the pressure on with a 7-5, 6-2 victory on Court 1.
Chasing a 3-2 Wolfpack lead, Clemson needed three-set victories from both Buyckx and Jenna Thompson. Buyckx took care of business on Court 6, coming back from a tough first set loss to win the match 5-7, 6-3, 6-2 and level the score.
Thompson battled hard to force a third set, and four hours after the start of the grueling match, she managed to clinch the come from behind victory for the Tigers, giving Head Coach Christy Lynch her first career ACC Tournament victory.
“Wow,” Lynch emphatically exclaimed. “This was a tough match and we knew it was going to be. Our theme for the day was ‘no quit’ no matter what the score. Our backs were against the wall and VT played very well today starting in the doubles. Jenna was extremely mentally tough to come back and clinch the match for us. So proud of our team! We’re excited to go after it tomorrow!”
Up next, Clemson will take on the fifth-seeded NC State Wolfpack on Thursday at 3:30 p.m. Live stats for the match will be available at this LINK and streaming will be available HERE.
