Deacs Downed by Cavaliers on Friday Night

CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA – Kicking off its final road trip of the regular season, Wake Forest women's tennis fell to No. 14 Virginia (15-4, 7-3) on Friday evening (April 8), 5-2.

The Demon Deacons (12-9, 4-6) moved to 29-25 in the all-time series versus the Cavaliers.

Anna Brylin and Brooke Killingsworth impressed in doubles, taking down No. 17 Emma Navarro/Hibah Shaikh for a third ranked win of the season. Additionally, the feat was the duo's tenth overall victory in 2022.

Samantha Martinelli continued her win streak in singles play, going for a fifth consecutive victory.

Brooke Killingsworth has now won nine of her last ten matches, a clip that dates back to Feb. 26.

How it Happened

A ranked doubles matchup took over court one, with No. 13 Anna Brylin/Brooke Killingsworth leading 2-0 after the first pair of games.
Carolyn Campana and Mia Ahmad rallied off their fifth game to take a 3-2 lead in third doubles.
After the board was briefly tied up, Brylin and Killingsworth jumped ahead once again, 4-3.
Carolyn Campana and Ahmad kept their momentum afloat, surging to a 4-2 advantage.
Virginia won in second doubles.
Brylin and Killingsworth played a stellar final game, sealing a 6-4 victory to make the doubles action even more interesting.
Playing in the lone remaining duo match, Carolyn Campana and Ahmad battled into a 5-5 tie.
Virginia took the last two games, and ultimately the doubles point, for a 1-0 start.
Killingsworth put together a 3-1 lead in her opening singles set, being the first Deac to get in front.
- The sophomore went on to win two of her next three games.
Samantha Martinelli steadied early work in fourth singles, leading 4-3 in her first frame.
Martinelli was the first Deacon to take a first-set win, 6-4.
Killingsworth stayed alive through a tiebreaker in her opening period, 7-6 (5).
After suffering a sweep, Brylin responded in her second set with a vengeance, forcing a third.
- Saby Nihalani similarly seized control in her second frame: (3-6, 4-1) at the time.
Virginia went up 2-0 with a win in first singles.
Brylin, Martinelli, and Nihalani each eventually stepped into a third set.
After winning in second singles, the Cavaliers clinched the match, 4-0, on a court three victory.
Martinelli dominated in her final set, en route to her thirteenth solo victory of the spring.
Killingsworth mirrored her second-set tiebreaker finish in an identical way to her first period of play, giving the Deacs one final point in a fifth singles win.
Wake Forest fell, 5-2.

Doubles Results

No. 13 Anna Brylin/Brooke Killingsworth (WF) def. No. 17 Emma Navarro/Hibah Shaikh (UVA) 6-4
Sofia Munera/Natasha Subhash (UVA) def. Samantha Martinelli/Peyton Pesavento (WF) 6-3
Elaine Chervinsky/Amber O'Dell (UVA) def. Carolyn Campana/Mia Ahmad (WF) 7-5

Order of Finish: 2, 1, 3

Singles Results

No. 5 Emma Navarro (UVA) def. No. 35 Carolyn Campana (WF) 6-2, 6-2
No. 40 Natasha Subhash (UVA) def. Anna Campana (WF) 7-5, 6-2
Sofia Munera (UVA) def. Anna Brylin (WF) 6-0, 4-6, 6-3
Samantha Martinelli (WF) def. Hibah Shaikh (UVA) 6-4, 4-6, 6-1
Brooke Killingsworth (WF) def. Amber O'Dell (UVA) 7-6 (5), 7-6 (5)
Sara Ziodato (UVA) def. Saby Nihalani (WF) 6-3, 4-6, 6-0

Order of Finish: 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 5

From the Head Honcho

"Credit to Virginia - they played very well," said head coach Jeff Wyshner. "It was a close doubles point that they pulled out and, with how good the top of their singles lineup is, they are very hard to beat after they win in doubles. We played well in getting to third sets. I was proud of Sam and Brooke for pulling out wins on their courts."

Up Next

Wake Forest heads to Blacksburg, VA for a Sunday showdown (April 10) versus the Virginia Tech Hokies. First serve is scheduled for 1 p.m.

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Team Stats

Players Mentioned

Mia Ahmad

Anna Brylin

Anna Campana

Carolyn Campana

Brooke Killingsworth

Samantha Martinelli

Saby Nihalani

Peyton Pesavento