CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – The NC State women’s tennis team suffered a 5-2 road defeat at the hands of 18th-ranked Virginia in ACC action Sunday afternoon at the Snyder Tennis Center.

The Wolfpack picked up the first doubles win in the dual match, as the tandem of seniorTatiana Illova and junior Joelle Kissell outlasted the Cavaliers’ Stephanie Nauta and Erin Vierra, 8-6, at the No. 1 spot in the lineup. With the win, Kissell and Illova improved to 9-5 on the year.

Virginia (12-7, 6-1 ACC) bounced back at No. 3 doubles however, where Maria Fuccillo and Li Xi defeated the Pack’s duo of senior Chloe Smith and sophomore Sophie Nelson, 8-5, before clinching the doubles point on court two, where Julia Elbaba and Hana Tomljanovic outlasted the sophomore unit comprised of Elisha Hande and Nicole Martinez, 8-6.

NC State (11-6, 2-5 ACC) could not hold off the Cavs when singles play got underway, as Erin Vierra blanked Martinez, 6-0, 6-0, in the No. 5 spot, while the 66th-ranked Nauta took down the 92nd-ranked Illova, 6-2, 6-2, at the No. 2 spot.

At the No. 6 spot, Hande suffered a 6-3, 6-4 defeat to Caryssa Peretz and the 15th-ranked Elbaba downed the 35th-ranked Kissell, 6-3, 6-3, in the No. 1 spot to give Virginia a 5-0 advantage in the overall match.

The Wolfpack would get on the board in the remaining two matches, as freshman Rachael James-Baker won the first set of No. 3 singles, 6-3, over Tomljanovic. The Plantation, Fla., native led 4-3 in the second set, but Tomljanovic was forced to retire due to injury, giving James-Baker the win.

In the No. 4 spot, Smith dropped the first set, 6-2, to Xi, but responded by winning the final two sets 6-3 and 6-4, respectively, to notch the victory. Smith improved to 12-3 in dual singles matches this season.

NC State returns home for the first of four-straight home matches next Saturday, April 13, when it hosts Boston College at noon at the Curtis and Jacqueline Dail Outdoor Tennis Stadium.