Wake Forest University
Virginia Tech
Deacs Top Hokies, Earn ACC Quarterfinal Berth
4/21/2016 12:00:00 AM | Women's Tennis
By Wake Forest Athletic Communications (@WakeWTennis)
CARY, N.C. -- The eighth-seeded Wake Forest women's tennis team blanked No. 9-seeded Virginia Tech, 4-0, in the second round of the ACC Tournament at Cary Tennis Park in Cary, N.C. on Thursday morning. The Demon Deacons will take on top-seeded North Carolina in the quarterfinal round on Friday at 9 a.m.
The victory over the 31st-ranked Hokies improved the Deacons' record on the season to 19-8 and gave them their first ACC Tournament quarterfinal berth since 2010. The 28th-ranked Deacs have now taken down nine ranked foes on the season.
Wake Forest began the match by seizing the lead on all three doubles courts. After jumping out to a 4-0 advantage, No. 56-ranked Kimmy Guerin and Anna Ulyashchenko defeated Francesca Fusinato and Kelly Williford, 6-2, at the top position. Luisa Fernandez and Andrea Retolaza Andrade clinched the doubles point by pulling away late for a 6-3 triumph at No. 3.
At No. 2 doubles, Samantha Asch and Emma Davis were in front, 5-4, when their match was halted.
"We had a really good doubles effort," said Wake Forest head coach Jeff Wyshner. "We felt really good about the doubles going in and played three good doubles matches. After taking the lead, we came out in singles and were poised and played hard."
As was the case in doubles, the Deacs started strong in singles, winning the first set on four of six courts.
The Demon Deacons' lead spiked from 1-0 to 3-0 as Asch and freshman Joanna Zalewski completed straight-set victories almost simultaneously. Asch upended Raluca Mita, 6-3, 6-1, at No. 5 moments before Zalewski capped a 6-2, 6-2 win against Williford at No. 4.
Zalewski's victory was her sixth in a row in singles and made her the first Deacon to hit the 30-win mark for 2015-16. She also now has a team-best 20 singles wins on the dual-match season.
To secure Wake Forest's win, Fernandez swept through her first set at No. 6 and held off Sansitha Nandakumar in the second set by winning a 7-1 tiebreaker. Guerin and rookies Davis and Ulyashchenko were playing in third sets at the top three positions, respectively, when Fernandez clinched the 4-0 decision.
The Demon Deacons are now 26-6 against the Hokies all-time, including 2-0 this season and 3-0 in postseason play.
"We had three freshmen and they had none," Wyshner added. "That was a tough situation for us in our first match of the tournament, but everyone handled themselves great and we played a good match. We're excited to play North Carolina tomorrow."
Friday's quarterfinal round was originally slated to begin at 10 a.m., but all Friday ACC Tournament matches were moved up an hour due to the threat of inclement weather later in the day.
No. 28 Wake Forest 4, No. 31 Virginia Tech 0
Singles competition
1. No. 64 Kimmy Guerin (WF) vs. No. 56 Francesca Fusinato (VT) 2-6, 7-6 (4), unfinished
2. Emma Davis (WF) vs. No. 125 Elena Cerezo-Codina (VT) 6-1, 4-6, 0-3, unfinished
3. Anna Ulyashchenko (WF) vs. Caroline Daxhelet (VT) 4-6, 6-4, 1-0, unfinished
4. Joanna Zalewski (WF) def. Kelly Williford (VT) 6-2, 6-2
5. Samantha Asch (WF) def. Raluca Mita (VT) 6-3, 6-1
6. Luisa Fernandez (WF) def. Sansitha Nandakumar (VT) 6-0, 7-6 (1)
Order of Finish: 5,4,6
Doubles competition
1. No. 56 Kimmy Guerin/Anna Ulyashchenko (WF) def. Francesca Fusinato/Kelly Williford (VT) 6-2
2. Samantha Asch/Emma Davis (WF) vs. Caroline Daxhelet/Raluca Mita (VT) 5-4, unfinished
3. Luisa Fernandez/Andrea Retolaza Andrade (WF) def. Elena Cerezo-Codina/Sansitha Nandakumar (VT) 6-3
Order of Finish: 1,3
Players Mentioned
