Women's tennis edges Virginia Tech, 4-3

[PonyPride]

From SMUMustangs.com:

Mustangs win 4-3 thriller over Virginia Tech

DALLAS (SMU) – SMU women's tennis collected their second ACC win of the year, taking down No. 31 Virginia Tech (9-4, 0-3 ACC) at Styslinger/Altec Tennis Complex Sunday afternoon 4-3. The Mustangs improved to 8-6 overall and 2-2 in ACC play with the victory.

"Today was an incredible college tennis match," head coach Jeff Nevolo said. "Each court was a battle, and we did a great job competing. The team put in a lot of work this week. It was obvious that we got better and played with more confidence down the stretch when it mattered."

SMU secured a quick doubles point with two dominant performances on courts one and three. Sophie Llewellyn and Ellie Pittman swept No. 51 Charlotte Cartledge/Özlem Uslu (VT) 6-0, and then Arianna Stavropoulos and Kayla Schefke clinched the doubles point with a 6-1 win over Semra Aksu/Linda Ziets-Segura. Llewellyn and Pittman improved to 10-3 in spring doubles action and 4-0 in ACC play. Stavropoulos and Schefke are 4-0 as a pairing in doubles and are a perfect 3-0 against ACC foes.

Drew Morris extended the Mustangs' lead in singles action, winning her six straight of the spring with a 6-2, 7-5 win over Semra Aksu from Virginia Tech. Virginia clawed back to take a one-point lead, winning three close battles on courts six, two and five. Down one, the Mustangs showed confidence down the stretch, leading to a 4-3 win over the Hokies. Llewellyn battled back from an opening set loss to claim a 3-6, 7-6 (7-3), 6-3 win over #23 Özlem Uslu on court one. Then, Stavropoulos clinched the match in a third-set tiebreaker, defeating Arina Gamretkaia 5-7, 6-3, 7-6 (7-3), her third straight singles win.

NEXT UP:
SMU will be back in action Sunday, Mar. 9, at 4 p.m. CT as they step out of ACC play to host former American foe Tulsa.

Keep up with all the latest news and information on the Mustangs by following SMU Women's Tennis on X @SMUWTennis, on Instagram @smuwtennis, and on Facebook @SMUWomensTennis or check out information online at smumustangs.com.

Results
#61 SMU 4, #31 Virginia 3

Doubles
1. Sophie Llewellyn/Ellie Pittman (SMU) def. #51 Charlotte Cartledge/Özlem Uslu (VT) 6-0
2. Caroline McGinley/Drew Morris (SMU) vs. Arina Gamretkaia/Tara Gorinsek (VT) 2-4, uf
3. Kayla Schefke/Arianna Stavropoulos (SMU) def. Semra Aksu/Linda Ziets-Segura (VT) 6-1

Singles
1. Sophie Llewellyn (SMU) def. #23 Özlem Uslu (VT) 3-6, 7-6 (7-3), 6-3
2. Tara Gorinsek (VT) def. Pittman (SMU) 6-2, 5-7, 6-1
3. Drew Morris (SMU) def. Semra Aksu (VT) 6-2, 7-5
4. Arianna Stavropoulos (SMU) def. Arina Gamretkaia (VT) 5-7, 6-3, 7-6 (7-3)
5. Laima Frosch (VT) def. Millie Skelton (SMU) 6-3, 2-6, 7-6 (7-4)
6. Mila Mulready (VT) def. Kayla Schefke (SMU) 2-6, 6-3, 7-5

(Order of finish: Doubles 1, 3 / Singles 3, 6, 2, 5, 1, 4)