Hokie ClubDURHAM, N.C. – The Virginia Tech women's tennis team faltered on Sunday afternoon, falling 7-0 to No. 4 Duke at the Ambler Tennis Stadium in Durham, North Carolina.
Tech (12-11, 3-11 ACC) played it close in the doubles point after giving up the match on court one. Freshmen Nika Kozar and Nina Sorkin fell behind 5-3 on court two but fought back to tie it at 5 versus sixth-ranked Samantha Harris and Kelly Chen. The Blue Devil pair held on to win the next two games to clinch the doubles point. Sarah Baron and Katherine Butler were tied at 5 on court three before it went unfinished once the point was decided.
The Blue Devils (21-2, 13-1 ACC) took the matches on courts six, five and three to secure the win over the Hokies.
At the one, Tech's 63rd-ranked Natalie Novotna was tied with fourth-ranked Harris 5-5 in the opening set, but Harris pushed past Novotna to win it 7-5. The Duke player won the second set 6-4.
Butler looked to force a third set on court four after giving up the first 6-0 to 29th-ranked Chen. Butler gave Chen all she could handle in the second set as the two went to a tiebreak. It went back and forth, but Chen held off Butler to win it 7-6(6).
The Hokies will be back on the court Wednesday, April 25 at 9 a.m. when Tech faces 12th-seeded Louisville in the opening round of the 2018 ACC Women's Tennis Championship in Cary, North Carolina.
Singles
1. #4 Samantha Harris (DU) def. #63 Natalie Novotna (VT) 7-5, 6-4
2. #81 Meible Chi (DU) def. Caroline Daxhelet (VT) 6-3, 6-4
3. #119 Kaitlyn McCarthy (DU) def. Nika Kozar (VT) 6-2, 6-4
4. #29 Kelly Chen (DU) def. Katherine Butler (VT) 6-0, 7-6(6)
5. #124 Ellyse Hamlin (DU) def. Nina Sorkin (VT) 6-1, 6-2
6. Hannah Zhao (DU) def. Shene Disbergen (VT) 6-0, 6-0
Order of finish: 6,5,3,1,2,4
Doubles
1. #9 McCarthy/Hamlin (DU) def. Daxhelet/Novotna (VT) 6-0
2. #6 Harris/Chen (DU) def. Kozar/Sorkin (VT) 7-5
3. Baron/Butler (VT) vs. Chi/Zhao (DU) 5-5 dnf
Order of finish: 1,2