Sunday, 09/16/2012

WILLIAMSBURG, Va. - William and Mary women's tennis juniors Maria Belaya and Jeltje Loomans knocked off a top-50 opponent on the way to winning their doubles flight at the Duke Fab Four Invitational on Saturday. The Tribe pair, which is ranked No. 12 nationally, won its third straight this year and 16th in its last 17 matches dating back to last season.

After winning a both their matches on Friday, Belaya and Loomans rolled to an 8-2 victory over the No. 43-ranked Duke team of Annie Mulholland and Ester Goldfeld in Flight C. The Tribe duo is 3-0 on the year and 23-6 as a team over the last two seasons.

Junior Hope Johnson and Belaya each won their first singles matches of the season in the consolation side of the Black and White Flights, respectively, at the Duke event. Johnson downed Furman's Michele Stanford, 6-4, 7-6 (5), before falling to No. 121-ranked Lynda Xepolas of Purdue. Belaya upended Alabama's Emily Zabor, 6-2, 7-6 (2), and then fell to Ashley Dai of North Carolina in the consolation semifinals. Johnson will face Yale's Ree Ree Li on the final day of the event, while Belaya meets Mississippi's Julia Jones. Both matches carry a 10:30 a.m. start time.

At the UVa Fall Classic, freshman Leeza Nemchinov tallied her first collegiate victory in the consolation side of Flight A-2. The Green and Gold rookie rallied for a three-set win over Wake Forest's Kasey Gardiner. After the Demon Deacon player took the first set, 6-4, Nemchinov rolled in the set second, 6-0, before clinching the victory with a 10-5 super tiebreaker win in the third. She will face another Wake Forest opponent in the consolation draw on Sunday, meeting Karen Forman at 10:30 a.m.

The Tribe will wrap up the first weekend of the fall season on Sunday. The UVa Fall Classic concludes with doubles at 9a.m. and singles beginning at 10:30 a.m. At the Duke event, there will be one round of singles at 10:30 a.m.

W&M Results from the Duke Fab Four Invitational
Singles Blue Flight
#55 Caroline Rohde-Moe (Mississippi) def. Jeltje Loomans (W&M) - 6-3, 6-1
#80 Melissa Kopinski (Illinois) def. Jeltje Loomans (W&M) - 2-0, retire

Singles Black Flight
Hope Johnson (W&M) def. Michele Stanford (Furman) - 6-4, 7-6 (5)
#121 Lynda Xepolas (Purdue) def. Hope Johnson (W&M) - 6-2, 6-2

Singles White Flight
Julia Jones (Mississippi) def. Anik Cepeda (W&M) - 6-3, 6-4
Maria Belaya (W&M) def. Emily Zabor (Alabama) - 6-2, 7-6 (2)
Ashley Dai (North Carolina) def. Maria Belaya (W&M) - 6-1, 6-1

Doubles Flight B
Begley/Gajic (Texas) def. Johnson/Cepeda (W&M) - 8-4

Doubles Flight C
#12 Belaya/Loomans (W&M) def. #43 Mulholland/Goldfeld (Duke) - 8-2

W&M Results from the UVa Fall Classic
Singles Flight A-1
#99 Maria Fuccillo (Virginia) def. Nina Vulovich (W&M) - 6-0, 6-2

Singles Flight A-2
Leeza Nemchinov (W&M) def. Kasey Gardiner (Wake Forest) - 4-6, 6-0, 10-5

Singles Flight B
Nika Kumolovska (ODU) def. Sydney Smith (W&M) - 6-3, 6-2

Doubles Flight A
Kucin/Ball (Marshall) def. Nemchinov/Smith (W&M) - 8-6
Oudin/Murray (Furman) def. Nemchinov/Smith (W&M) - 8-6

Doubles Flight B
Gunaysu/Cridland (Winthrop) def. Vulovich/Lee (W&M) - 8-5