LEXINGTON, Va. – The 10th-ranked Washington and Lee women's tennis team bounced back in singles play to upend No. 13 Trinity (Texas), 4-3, in their spring opener and first match of Groundhog Palooza.
HOW IT HAPPENED:
After dropping a match at No. 2 doubles to start, juniors
Lauren Long and
Grace Lorenz kept the Generals' (3-0) hopes of claiming the doubles point alive with a 6-1 win at No. 1. Ruth Hill and Lauren Tin of Trinity (4-1) emerged victorious, however, at No. 3 to give the Tigers the 1-0 lead heading to singles.
The Generals answered back immediately in singles, as W&L won each of the first four matches that finished. Long got the Blue and White on the board with a 6-0, 6-3 win over Hill at No. 1, while Lorenz matched that result and score at No. 3 over Ellie Hughes. First-year
Allie Murrell fought off Olivia Kim (6-4, 6-3) at No. 2, with first-year
Sarah Donnelly clinching the team win with a 6-3, 6-3 win at No. 4.
With the match decided, the Tigers kept battling and picked up wins by Lucy Nabedrick (6-3, 6-2) at No. 5 and Rosabella Andrade (7-6 (4), 6-3) at No. 6.
NOTEWORTHY POINTS:
Not only did W&L pick up a ranked win for their resume this season, but Long, Lorenz and Donnelly all secured wins against ranked opponents, as well. Hill, who Long beat at No. 1, opened spring season as the 13th-ranked player in Division III singles and the fourth-rated singles player in the West Region. Donnelly bested the national No. 27 and West-Region No. 7 in Trinity Levy, while Lorenz's win came over No. 48 Hughes (West Region No. 12).
UP NEXT:
The Generals will turn around and face-off against No. 5 Emory on Saturday in Day Two of Groundhog Palooza. First serve will be at approximately 3:00 p.m., or shortly after the completion of the 11:00 a.m. Trinity/Christopher Newport match.
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.
