The No. 26 Virginia women's tennis team entered its match against No. 28 Illinois boasting a perfect 3-0 record, but had yet to earn a marquee victory. By defeating the Fighting Illini 5-2 Sunday afternoon, however, the Cavaliers demonstrated that they are capable of competing with the nation's best squads.
Virginia (4-0, 1-0 ACC) won in convincing fashion despite losing the doubles point to Illinois (2-4, 1-0 Big Ten) - the first time this season that the Cavaliers have lost two doubles matches. Junior Emily Fraser and sophomore Hana Tomljanovich fell against sophomore Rachael White and freshman Allison Falkin 9-8 in a matchup that featured two of the nation's top-15 doubles teams at No. 1 doubles position.
Both Fraser and Tomljanovich later rebounded to win in key singles matches in the first and third spots, respectively. Freshman Caryssa Peretz and junior Lindsey Hardenbergh also chipped in by recording straight-set victories. Peretz's and Hardenbergh's triumphs helped to quickly erase the early deficit for Virginia. Hardenbergh downed sophomore Breanne Smutko, 6-0, 6-4, improving her record to 4-0 since the start of the dual meet season. The junior also remained undefeated in doubles along with sophomoreErin Vierra.
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-compiled by Ian Rappaport
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