No. 49 Women's Tennis Upsets No. 36 Virginia Tech

Sunday, March 18

LOUISVILLE, KY

1 p.m.

University of Louisville

VIRGINIA TECH

Photo by: Jeff Reinking | Louisville Athletics

March 18, 2018 | Women's Tennis

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Match comes down to Abbie Pahz's win for the clinch

By: Nancy Worley

The University of Louisville women's tennis team dropped the doubles point but roared back in doubles for the upset win 4-3 over No. 36 Virginia Tech Sunday afternoon at the Bass-Rudd Tennis Center. The No. 49-ranked Cards move to 13-3, 3-3 in the ACC.

"Wow, what a really, really tight match," said UofL head coach Mark Beckham. "We dropped the doubles point. Tech pressed us and stole the point from us and that made it difficult. We had some people step up. Mariana Humberg, Raven Neely and Tiffany Huber played well. They got off their courts quickly and that put more pressure on Tech. Abbie Pahz clinched it for us. That match was an absolute grind. It's a lot of pressure, but if anyone is in that situation, I would pick her every time."

VT's Nika Kozar and Nina Sorkin beat Aleksandra Mally and Ariana Rodriguez 6-2 at No. 3 to start the match. The Hokie pair of Katherine Butler and Natalier Novtna then dispatched Sena Suswam and Raven Neely 6-2 at No. 2 to clinch the point. The bright spot for the Cards' doubles outing came from the No. 1 pair of Abbie Pahz and Mariana Humberg, who beat VT's Elena Cerezo-Codina and Caroline Daxhelet 6-2.

UofL's Raven Neely scored the Cards' first point with a 6-1, 6-3 win over Katherine Butler. Teammate Mariana Humberg gave Louisville a 2-1 lead with a 6-2, 6-4 win over Caroline Daxhelet at No. 2. VT's No. 52-ranked Natalier Novtna beat Aleksandra Mally 6-2, 6-2 at No.1 to even the score at two apiece. Cardinal Tiffany Huber gave back the lead to the Cards with a win at No. 4 over Nika Kozar. VT's Nina Sorkin tied the match at three with a 6-4, 6-4 over Sena Suswam at No. 6.

The match came down to the No. 3 slot, where Louisville's Abbie Pahz was locked in a battle with Elena Cerezo-Codina. The Louisville senior won the first set 7-5 (9-7) and 7-6 to clinch the win.

The Cardinals next head to Boston College on March 23 for a 2 p.m. match.

Tennis Match Results
Virginia Tech vs Louisville
Mar 18, 2018 at Louisville, Ky.
(Bass-Rudd Tennis Center)

#49 Louisville 4, #36 Virginia Tech 3

Singles competition
1. #52 Natalier Novtna (VT) def. Aleksandra Mally (LOU) 6-2, 6-2
2. Mariana Humberg (LOU) def. Caroline Daxhelet (VT) 6-2, 6-4
3. Abbie Pahz (LOU) def. Elena Cerezo-Codina (VT) 7-5 (9-7), 7-6
4. Tiffany Huber (LOU) def. Nika Kozar (VT) 6-1, 6-4
5. Raven Neely (LOU) def. Katherine Butler (VT) 6-1, 6-3
6. Nina Sorkin (VT) def. Sena Suswam (LOU) 6-4, 6-4

Doubles competition
1. Abbie Pahz/Mariana Humberg (LOU) def. Elena Cerezo-Codina/Caroline Daxhelet (VT) 6-2
2. Katherine Butler/Natalier Novtna (VT) def. Sena Suswam/Raven Neely (LOU) 6-2
3. Nika Kozar/Nina Sorkin (VT) def. Aleksandra Mally/Ariana Rodriguez (LOU) 6-2

Match Notes:
Virginia Tech 10-4, 1-4 ACC; National ranking #36
Louisville 12-3, 3-2 ACC; National ranking #49
Order of finish: Doubles (3,2,1); Singles (5,2,1,4,6,3)
T-2:45 A-65