ROME, Ga. – Battling until the very end, Virginia Tech women's tennis fell in the first round of the ACC Championship on Wednesday afternoon to No. 58 Clemson. After securing the doubles point, the Hokies fell one court short in doubles – losing 4-3 to the Tigers.
Just three days removed from its last matchup with Clemson, Tech was noticeably more competitive from the start. In doubles, Elizabet Danailova and Rita Pinto bested their opponents, 6-2, on Court 2. Erika Cheng and Sabina Richtrova continued their fantastic late-season form and clinched the point with a 6-1 win.
Virginia Tech kept its foot on the gas for the beginning portion of singles. Tamara Barad Itzhaki earned a huge point on Court 2 against No. 99 Cristina Mayorova. After battling to a 6-4 first set advantage, Barad Itzhaki cruised to a 6-0 second set to put Tech up 2-0.
After Clemson got a point back on Court 4, Semra Aksu made the score 3-1 with a straight sets win on Court 5, 6-2, 6-3.
Court 1 went to the Tigers, making the score 3-2, as Katie Andreini entered a third set on Court 6. In her first singles match since March 18, Andreini fell in a three-set battle.
All eyes shifted to Court 3, where freshman Dariya Radulova was competing in the deciding match. Radulova took the first set in a tiebreaker, but her opponent battled back 6-4 in the second set. In the deciding third set, both players exchanged breaks for the first four game before the Tigers earned some separation and wrapped up the match.
The result likely marks the conclusion of Virginia Tech's season.
