LEXINGTON, Va. – For the 22nd straight season and 34th time in its history, the No. 39 Washington and Lee women's tennis team hoisted the ODAC championship trophy following a 4-0 win against Averett on Sunday.
HOW IT HAPPENED:
The Generals (17-5) cruised to the doubles point with a pair of 6-0 wins from juniors
Lauren Long and
Grace Lorenz at No. 1, and first-years
Sarah Donnelly and
Allie Murrell at No. 2. Juniors
Isabella Custard and
Annie Jennings went unfinished at No. 3, but they led Elisa Battermann and Dilara Sultanova, 3-2, at the time of the clinching point.
Donnelly got the Generals on the board in singles with a 6-0, 6-1 win against Harshri Asher at No. 4, before Long put W&L one point away from the title with a 6-3, 6-0 victory at No. 1 against Ravanka Ramanantoanina. At No. 2, Murrell matched Long's first-set score ahead of winning 6-of-7 games in the second set to claim victory for the Generals.
Lorenz was one game away from closing out a win against Sultanova at No. 3 when Murrell ended the match, as she held a 6-3, 5-0 lead.
NOTEWORTHY POINTS:
Long's win extended her winning streak in singles to nine matches, tied with first-year
Greer Webb for the longest singles winning streak of the season. Long has posted a 15-1 record in singles play this season.
Despite not finishing her match for the third straight contest, Lorenz led each of her ODAC Tournament matches by a set and two games or more in the second set. Lorenz still holds an active seven-match winning streak, with her last loss coming back on February 15 this season.
UP NEXT:
With their win, the Generals earned the ODAC's automatic bid into the NCAA Division III Women's Tennis Championship. They will find out when and who they play during the selection show on Monday at 12:00 p.m. on ncaa.com. Individually, the NCAA will also announce the Division III Women's Tennis Singles and Doubles Championship participants and alternates this Wednesday, May 7, via press release.
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.
