WVU Suffers Second Loss of the Season at VCU

Saturday, March 2

Richmond, Va.

10:00 A.M.

West Virginia University

VCU

Photo by: All Pro Photography/Dale Sparks

March 02, 2019 03:23 PM | Tennis

Box Score

By: Tanner Cain

MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – The West Virginia University tennis team (6-2, 0-1 Big 12) could not overcome six VCU wins and was defeated, 5-2, on Saturday afternoon at the Thalhimer Tennis Center in Richmond, Virginia.

"We didn't have the result that we wanted today, but this will be a great learning opportunity moving forward," said head coach Miha Lisac.

Doubles Recap
Starting in the No. 1 slot, senior Paula Goetz and junior Sofia Duran opened doubles play strong for the Mountaineers, defeating Melissa Ifidzhen and Anna Rasmussen, 6-0.

In the No. 2 slot, freshmen Nicole Roc and Anastasiia Bovolskaia fell to Paola Exposito Diaz-Delgado and Kanako Yano, 3-6, as VCU tied up the doubles score, 1-1.

In the final match from the No. 3 slot, sophomore Anne-Sophie Courteau and senior Abigail Rosiello were defeated by Marina Alcaide Bakkari and Sofia Sualehe, 3-6, to claim the doubles team point for the Rams.

Singles Recap
The first singles match to finish came from the No. 2 slot, where junior Christina Jordan was bested by Anna Rasmussen in two sets, 4-6, 3-6.

Finishing shortly after in the No. 3 slot, Duran fell to Marina Alcaide Bakkari, 4-6, 3-6, to claim another two-set victory for the Rams.

Starting in the No. 1 slot, Goetz was defeated by Paola Exposito Diaz-Delgado, 5-7, 1-6, as VCU would clinch the match and lead the Mountaineers, 4-0. The final three matches were played out.

In the No. 4 slot, Roc went toe-to-toe with Kanako Yano. In a back-and-forth contest, the Chicago, Illinois, native was defeated by Yano, 5-7, 4-6.

WVU claimed its first win of the day from the No. 5 slot. Courteau trailed Melissa Ifidzhen, 1-2, in the first set before Ifidzen retired early due to injury.

In the final match of the day from the No. 6 slot, sophomore Giovanna Caputo dropped the first set, 3-6, to Noumea Witmus but bounced back to win the second set, 6-4. Despite being down 5-1 to open the third-set tiebreaker, Caputo stormed back to claim the final set, 10-7, to win the final match of the day.

Doubles Results
1. Paula Goetz/Sofia Duran (WVU) def. Melissa Ifidzhen/Anna Rasmussen (VCU) 6-0
2. Paola Exposito Diaz-Delgado/Kanako Yano (VCU) def. Nicole Roc/Anastasia Bovolskaia (WVU) 6-3
3. Marina Alcaide Bakkari/Sofia Sualehe (VCU) def. Anna-Sophie Courteau/Abigail Rosiello (WVU) 6-3

Singles Results
1. Paola Exposito Diaz-Delgado (VCU) def. Paul Goetz (WVU) 7-5, 6-1
2. Anna Rasmussen (VCU) def. Christina Jordan (WVU) 6-4, 6-3
3. Marina Alcaide Bakkari (VCU) def. Sofia Duran (WVU) 6-4, 6-3
4. Kanako Yano (VCU) def. Nicole Roc (WVU) 7-5, 6-4
5. Anna-Sophie Courteau (WVU) def. Melissa Ifidzhen (VCU) 1-2 (VCU Injury Default)
6. Giovanna Caputo (WVU) def. Noumea Witmus (VCU) 3-6, 6-4, 10-7

Looking Ahead
The Mountaineers compete tomorrow against Old Dominion. West Virginia is scheduled to begin play at 10 a.m. ET on Sunday, from the Folkes-Stevens Tennis Center in Norfolk, Virginia. Fans can follow Sunday's contest vs. ODU by visiting the live stats link.

Entering Sunday's matchup, WVU is 1-9 all-time against Old Dominion. The Mountaineers' lone win, 5-4, over the Monarchs came in 1990. In last season's contest, WVU lost to No. 35 Old Dominion, 0-4, in Morgantown. The Monarchs check in at No. 29 in the latest Oracle/ITA rankings, marking the first ranked opponent that WVU has faced this season

A recap of Sunday's action will be available on WVUsports.com.

Keep up with West Virginia women's tennis on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook by following @WVUtennis.