Cards Beat Boston College to Advance in ACC Championship

Wednesday, April 19

Cary, NC

University of Louisville

Boston College

Cards Beat Boston College to Advance in ACC Championship

April 19, 2023 | Women's Tennis

Box Score

Louisville wins 4-3 and will face Florida State on Thursday

By: Nancy Worley

CARY, N.C. – Powered by two heroic wins by senior Cici Xin, the University of Louisville women's tennis team ground out a three and half hour 4-3 win over Boston College in the first round of the Atlantic Coast Conference Championship Wednesday afternoon at the Cary Tennis Center.

"Top four seeds in this conference compete on the highest level, however, the rest of us are very similar in talent," said head coach Mark Beckham. "So, in order to win any match in this conference, you have to give the proper effort and be mentally tougher on that day. Our win today was a perfect example of that. We needed a contribution from everyone on the team to win today. That might have been the longest match I have been a part of on the women's side. It was exhausting. We need the same kind of effort tomorrow to beat a very good Florida State team."

The Cardinals won the doubles point to begin the match. The No. 3 pair of Sasha Gorchanyuk and Maria Campos dispatched Sophia Edwards and Stephanie Sanchez 6-1 and then got a huge lift when the No. 2 Cardinal pair of Jamilah Snells and Cici Xin beat Hailey Wilcox and Seren Agar 6-3 to clinch the point.

Boston College tied the match at one when Natalie Eordekian downed Maria Campos 6-2, 6-3. Louisville senior Andrea DiPalma, who is ranked No. 122, made quick work of Marice Aguiar with a 6-2, 6-3 win on the No. 1 court.

Louisville's Tyra Richardson beat BC's Stephanie Sanchez 6-4, 6-2 to put the Cards up 2-1. Senior Rhea Verma took her first set 6-3 but couldn't hold off Sophia Edwards at the No. 3 slot, dropping the next two sets 6-2, 6-2.

Up 3-2, the Cardinals were unable to clinch at the No. 2 slot as Jamilah Snells, who won her first set 6-3, dropped her second set 6-3 and then lost a tiebreaker to Laura Lopez in the third set 7-6 (7-2).

With the scored tied at three, the match outcome fell to graduate transfer Cici Xin, who sported athletic tape on her shoulder, wrist and knees and who had struggled of late with nagging injuries, dropping her last eight singles matches. Xin dropped her first set to Seren Agar 6-4 and then won at 7-6 with a 7-4 tiebreaker before winning 6-2 to clinch the match.

"I am so proud of the team for competing across the board," said senior Rhea Verma. "These are the last college matches for so many of us and we want to spend as much time possible on the court and share these memories with our teammates."

The Cardinals will play No. 6-seeded Florida State Thursday at 12:30 on Bank 1.

Tennis Match Results Louisville vs Boston College
Apr 19, 2023 at Cary Tennis Center, Cary, N.C.
Louisville 4, Boston College 3

Singles competition
1. #122 Andrea DiPalma (LOU) def. Marice Aguiar (BC) 6-2, 6-3
2. Laura Lopez (BC) def. Jamilah Snells (LOU) 4-6, 6-3, 7-6 (7-2)
3. Sophia Edwards (BC) def. Rhea Verma (LOU) 3-6, 6-2, 6-4
4. Tyra Richardson (LOU) def. Stephanie Sanchez (BC) 6-4, 6-2
5. Cici Xin (LOU) def. Seren Agar (BC) 4-6, 7-6 (7-4), 6-2
6. Natalie Eordekian (BC) def. Maria Campos (LOU) 6-2, 6-3

Doubles competition
1. Marice Aguiar/Laura Lopez (BC) def. Andrea DiPalma/Rhea Verma (LOU) 6-4
2. Jamilah Snells/Cici Xin (LOU) def. Hailey Wilcox/Seren Agar (BC) 6-3
3. Sasha Gorchanyuk/Maria Campos (LOU) def. Sophia Edwards/Stephanie Sanchez (BC) 6-1

Match Notes: Order of finish: Doubles (3,2,1); Singles (6,1,4,3,2,5) 2023 ACC Women's Tennis Championship: Match 2