SEWANEE, Tenn. – The 20th-ranked Washington and Lee women's tennis team stormed back in singles play, taking five of six matches, to overcome a 3-0 deficit and shock No. 18 Sewanee on its home courts on Wednesday afternoon.
HOW IT HAPPENED:
After the Tigers (14-7) won all three doubles matches, the Generals (16-1) began to chip away and claw their way back into the match. Sophomores
Lauren Long and
Grace Lorenz, and senior
Gabi Moss, all won at the top three singles positions to even the team score. Long and Lorenz both needed three sets at Nos. 1 and 3 respectively, while Moss upset 37th-ranked Brooke Despriet in straight sets (6-4, 6-4).
W&L sophomore
Annie Jennings then put the Generals one win away from the win with a victory at No. 4. Jennings rebounded after dropping the first set, 3-6, to take the second, 7-6 (7), and the third set, 6-0. First-year
Haley Stoltz also went up a set at No. 6 after winning a tiebreak, 6-2. Nicole Nowak battled back, however, to take the next two sets, 6-2, 7-5, to knot the match score at four all.
That left the match up to W&L's
Margaret Carlton and Sewanee's Mariella Congeni at No. 5. Carlton claimed the first set, 7-5, before Congeni posted the same result in the second set. Carlton then held strong in the third for a 6-2 win for the final result.
NOTEWORTHY POINTS:
Long's and Moss's wins in singles play marked their second time seeing Katherine Petty and Despriet. The 2023 Division III doubles national champions, Petty and Despriet entered the day ranked fifth in the nation and first in the region, and they earned an 8-5 win over Long and Moss at No. 1 doubles.
After the newest ITA rankings release on Wednesday, Long and Moss are currently ranked 16th in Division III and third in the region.
UP NEXT:
The Generals will return home to close out the 2023-24 regular season on Saturday when they host No. 26 Mary Washington at 1:00 p.m.
Nestled in the mountains of Virginia, Washington and Lee University is a proud member of NCAA Division III and the Old Dominion Athletic Conference. Founded in 1749, W&L is the ninth-oldest college in the United States and a top-ranked liberal arts university. With over 500 student-athletes in 24 varsity sports, the Generals have celebrated over 265 conference championships. Learn more about the Blue and White by visiting www.generalssports.com or on social media at @WLUGenerals.
