SU vanguishes Virginia Tech en route to a 4-3 victory

By Yaw Bonsu

CitrusTV Tennis Reporter

Syracuse (4-3) notched its second straight win on Friday, beating Virginia Tech (2-5) 4-3. The Orange clinched the duel after five matches but continued to play at a coach’s decision.

For the first time since ITA Kickoff Weekend back in January, SU rolled with the same three duos from the previous bout. That was led by Viktoriya Kanapatskaya and Natalie Novotna who notched a 6-3 victory over the Hokies’ Elizabet Danailova and Nika Kozar.

Natalie Novotna faced off against her old team in Virginia Tech and managed to secure the victory. Novotna transferred to SU months ago after spending most of her career in the #1 singles spot for the Hokies.

Doubles play was rounded out by Polina Kozyreva and Sofya Treshcheva who defeated Virginia Tech’s Tamara Barad Itzhaki and Rita Pinto to clinch the doubles for SU.

In singles play, Syracuse got the job done early, starting with the afternoon’s most lopsided matchup. Sofia Treshcheva took care of her business taking down Annie Clark 6-1, 6-1 in the #6 singles. That marked Treshcheva’s first singles win in almost a year.

Polina Kozyreva extended her winning streak to five with a 6-2, 6-0 victory over Shene Disbergen. The Orange then clinched the dual thanks to Viktoriya Kanapatskaya making quick work of Nika Kozar, winning 1-6, 3-6 to wrap up the victory for Syracuse.

In an unexpected back and forth, the two teams continued playing after the clinching point due to a coach’s decision. Natalie Novotna fell to Tamara Barad in an absurd 7-6, 2-6, 13-11 loss to round out the afternoon for SU.

Next up for Syracuse is Virginia on Sunday at Drumlins Country Club. The last time the two teams met, the Cavaliers dominated the Orange en route to a 7-0 victory.

ybonsu@citrustv.net | @yawbonsu27