NEWWPORT NEWS, Va. – The No. 7 Washington and Lee women's tennis team fell by a narrow score of 4-3 against fifth-ranked Wesleyan on Saturday afternoon at Christopher Newport University.
HOW IT HAPPENED:
The Generals (5-3) got off to a slow start, losing all three doubles matches to give Wesleyan (8-1) a 1-0 lead heading to singles. Junior
Isabella Custard and first-year
Sarah Donnelly had the closest defeat at 6-3 in the No. 3 position, with the Cardinals winning No. 1 and No. 2, 6-2, apiece.
The Cardinals' three wins in singles play all came in straight sets, with the Generals pulling out a trio of three-set victories. Lane Durkin (6-4, 6-2) topped W&L first-year
Allie Murrell at No. 2, with Lucinda Gatsiounis and Alexandra Burnett winning at Nos. 5 and 6, respectively, by dropping a total of nine games.
The highlight in singles play for the Blue and White came at the top spot, where junior
Lauren Long took down top-ranked Jackie Soloveychik in three sets. After dropping the first set, 2-6, Long rallied for a 6-3 win in the second, before claiming the third-set, 10-point tiebreaker, 10-8. Donnelly also battled back to a three-set win at No. 4 after dropping her first set, while junior
Grace Lorenz rounded out the winning Generals with a 6-4, 2-6, 1-0 (3) victory at No. 3.
NOTEWORTHY POINTS:
Long's win over Soloveychik, who won the 2024 ITA Cup Singles National Championship, marks her second Top 3 win in singles play this season, after she defeated third-ranked Emily Kantrovitz of Emory back on February 15. Long remains unbeaten so far this season in singles play at 6-0, and she has won three straight matches against players ranked inside the national Top 15, whose combined singles records are 47-7 this season.
UP NEXT:
The Generals will be back in action in Newport News on Sunday when they take on No. 17 Christopher Newport at 12:00 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.
