LEXINGTON, Va. – The No. 2 seed Sweet Briar College tennis team (18-8, 9-1 ODAC) fell to the No. 1 seed/No. 22 Washington and Lee University Generals (18-6, 10-0 ODAC) by a score of 0-5 in the Old Dominion Athletic Conference (ODAC) Women's Tennis Championship today.
Playing in their third-straight ODAC title match, the Vixens fell behind early after the conclusion of doubles play.
The Generals took all three doubles points, despite a late push by the pairing of Caro/Simhambhatla to come back from a 0-3 deficit. The duo ended up falling at No. 3 doubles by a score of 6-8 to Iijima/Lorenz.
In singles play, the match was called after losses by junior
Ruth de Souza (Marilia, Brazil) and
Ana Patino (Medellín, Colombia) by scores of 2-6, 0-6 and 1-6, 1-6 at the No. 1 and No. 2 flights respectively.
At the time that play was called, senior
Nikhita Simhambhatla (Hyderabad, Telangana, India) had won her first set 6-2 and was up 2-0 in the second.
With only four indoor courts available for the match, senior
Allison Wandling (Mechanicsville, Va.), playing in the No. 4 singles match, was the only other contest underway.
Highlights
- Simhambhatla's first set win marks her first career set victory over a player from Washington and Lee.
- The Vixens conclude a season which saw the team rank as high as No. 11 regionally along with a No. 8 ranking for the doubles team of de Souza/Wandling.
What's Next
The NCAA Division III Women's Tennis National Championship selection show will take place on Monday, May 1 at noon. Sweet Briar will also now look ahead to the 2023-24 season.
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