No. 11 @ClemsonWTennis Upset by Harvard, 4-3

CLEMSON, SC – The 11th-ranked women’s tennis team was up 3-0 and looked to be in control before No. 68 Harvard (6-2) took singles matches on the top four courts to upset Clemson (7-3), 4-3, at the Hoke Sloan Tennis Center on Friday. The match took more than four hours to complete, and Harvard improved to 3-1 in the all-time series in the programs’ first meeting since 2006.  Clemson’s loss drops a three-match winning streak, which had included wins over two top-15 opponents and on the road at South Carolina. The Tigers must now regroup, as they get set to take on Virginia Tech in Blacksburg on Sunday at 1 pm.  Romy Koelzer and Tristen Dewar opened doubles play with an 8-1 win over Sylvia Li and June Lee. Koelzer and Dewar took a quick 7-0 lead before the Crimson won their first game. Clemson responded quickly taking the match on the next set.  The final two matches of doubles play were much more thrilling. A 8-7 Harvard victory on court three over the Tiger duo of Ani Miao and Jessy Rompies meant that the point came down to court one. In match that was just as exciting, Yana  Koroleva and Beatrice Gumulya downed Spencer Liang and Monica Lin 8-5 to seal the point. Clemson has now earned the doubles point in nine of 10 matches played this season.  Joana Eidukonyte, playing in just her second dual match of the season, cruised to a 6-0, 6-0 victory over Sylvia Li. Earlier this season, she easily handled her Charleston Southern opponent 6-1, 6-0. That marks 24 games won to just one lost early in on her Tiger dual match career. Tristen Dewar, playing on court five, matched Eidukonyte winning in straight sets, 6-1, 6-0. The 85th-ranked player in the nation has now won her past three matches and improves to 16-6 on the year. Dewar’s win gave Clemson a 3-0 lead in the overall match, and the Tigers won the first set in three of the final four sets. Harvard, however, battled back to win the final four matches of the night.  On court three, June Lee defeated Romy Koelzer 6-2, 6-4 to give the Crimson their first point of the night.  Courts one, two and four all went to three sets after Clemson had taken the first on each of them. Yana Koroleva won the first set 6-2 in the first flight, but Spencer Liang battled back to win the final two sets 7-6 and 6-2. Court two saw an eerily similar result. Beatrice Gumulya took the first set 6-2 before Monica Lin fought back to win the final two sets 7-6 and 6-4. Lin’s win evened the overall match at three apiece, meaning it all came down to court four. Like Koroleva and Gumulya, Ani Miao won her first set of the match 7-5. This time it was Amy He that came back to win the final two sets 6-1 and 6-2 while also clinching the victory for Harvard. Tennis Match Results Harvard vs Clemson Feb 21, 2014 at Clemson, SC (Hoke Sloan Tennis Center) #68 Harvard 4, #11 Clemson 3 Singles competition 1. Spencer Liang (HARV) def. #40 Yana Koroleva (CU) 2-6, 7-6 (7-4), 6-2 2. Monica Lin (HARV) def. #90 Beatrice Gumulya (CU) 2-6, 7-6, 6-4 3. June Lee (HARV) def. #54 Romy Koelzer (CU) 6-2, 6-4 4. Amy He (HARV) def. Yuilynn Miao (CU) 5-7, 6-1, 6-2 5. #85 Tristen Dewar (CU) def. Amanda Lin (HARV) 6-1, 6-0 6. Joana Eidukonyte (CU) def. Sylvia Li (HARV) 6-0, 6-0 Doubles competition 1. #55 Yana Koroleva/Beatrice Gumulya (CU) def. #48 Spencer Liang/Monica Lin (HARV) 8-5 2. Tristen Dewar/Romy Koelzer (CU) def. Sylvia Li/June Lee (HARV) 8-1 3. Amanda Lin/Amy He (HARV) def. Yuilynn Miao/Jessy Rompies (CU) 8-7 (7-1) Match Notes: Harvard 6-2; National ranking #68 Clemson 7-3; National ranking #11 Order of finish: Doubles (2,3,1); Singles (6,5,3,1,2,4) T-4:02