Virginia edges Tech, 4-2

ALTAMONTE SPRINGS, Fla. - The Virginia Tech women's tennis team lost a tough 4-2 decision Thursday afternoon to No. 53 Virginia in the opening round of the 2008 ACC Women's Tennis Championship. The four-day event is being played at Sanlando Park in Altamonte Springs, Fla. Virginia, the seventh-seed, improved to 10-12, and will face #2 seed Duke Friday at noon in the quarterfinals. Virginia Tech falls to 14-13 with the loss.

Tech, ranked No. 58 in this week's Intercollegiate Tennis Association poll, lost the doubles point to open the match, and won two of the five completed singles contests in the loss. Virginia took a commanding 3-0 lead as Maggie Yahner took a 6-3, 6-1 decision over J.J. Larson (Sr., Orchard Park, N.Y.) at No 4 and Jennifer Stevens, ranked No. 119, defeated Yasmin Hamza (Fr., Cairo, Egypt), 6-2, 6-3, in the No. 2 match. Tech got on the board as Jessica Brouwer (Jr. Maarssen, Netherlands) picked up a 6-4, 6-3, win at No. 5 over Lara Alexander and Holly Johnson (Fr., Tallahassee, Fla.) won her No. 6 match versus Cathy Nimitz, 6-3, 6-2.

The Cavaliers won the deciding point as Lindsey Pereira won the No. 3 contest, 7-5, 6-3, over Jessica Long (Sr., Elizabethtown, Pa.). Inga Beermann's (Jr., Bad Salzuflen, Germany) No. 1 match against Amanda Rales was halted in the third set once the Virginia had won the deciding point.

Virginia swept the two completed doubles matches as the 37th-ranked duo of Pereira/Yahner defeated Tech's Brouwer/Larson, 8-5, at No. 1 and Rales/Stevens won the No. 2 contest, 8-2, over Beermann/Johnson. Alexander/Hampton Williams led Hamza/Long, 7-6, at No. 3 when the match was halted once the team doubles point had been determined.

#53 Virginia 4, #58 Virginia Tech 2
Singles
1. Inga Beermann (VT) vs. Amanda Rales (UVa) 6-4, 4-6, 0-1 DNF
2. #119 Jennifer Stevens (UVa)Yasmin Hamza (VT) 6-2, 6-3
3. Lindsey Pereira (UVa) d. Jessica Long (VT) 7-5, 6-3
4. Maggie Yahner (UVa) def. J.J. Larson (VT) 6-3, 6-1
5. Jessica Brouwer (VT) def. Lara Alexander (UVa) 6-4, 6-3
6. Holly Johnson (VT) def. Cathy Nimitz (UVa) 6-3, 6-2
Finishing Order: 4, 2, 5, 6, 3*

Doubles
1. #37 Pereira/Yahner (UVa) def. Brouwer/Larson (VT) 8-5
2. Rales/Stevens (UVa) def. Beermann/Johnson (VT) 8-2
3. Alexander/Hampton Williams (UVa) vs. Hamza/Long (VT) 7-6, DNF
Finishing Order: 2,1*
*Cliching point