ORLANDO, Fla. The fourth-seeded George Washington Colonials swept the fifth-seeded Fordham Rams to advance to the semifinals of the Atlantic 10 Women's Tennis Championship, held at the USTA National Campus in Orlando.
GW struck first on the doubles courts, winning first at court three, then at court two. Charlotte Bell and Alexandra Vesikallio defeated Fordham's pair, 6-2 in the third flight, before Alexis Nelson and Lindsay Thompson clinched the doubles point, also with a score of 6-2.
Fordham picked up first set wins at No. 1 and No. 3 singles, but the Colonials extended their lead with a straight-set victory from Charlotte Bell at court five, 6-2, 6-3. GW's Nelson defeated Maia Balce, 6-1, 6-2 to get the third team point for the Colonials.
After dropping her first set, Stella Wiesemann rallied back to win the second and third sets, 6-1, 6-1, to clinch her court and the 4-0 victory.
With the win, the Colonials will face top seeded VCU on Friday at 3:00 pm.
MATCH #8 - #4 GEORGE WASHINGTON def. #5 FORDHAM, 4-0
SINGLES
1. Stella Wiesemann (GW) def. Arina Taluyenko (FOR) 2-6, 6-1, 6-1
2. Alexis Nelson (GW) def. Maia Balce (FOR) 6-1, 6-2
3. Genevieve Quenville (FOR) vs. Alexandra Vesikallio (GW) 6-2, 4-5, DNF
4. Sarah Bodewes (GW) vs. Valeriya Deminova (FOR) 7-5, 2-5, DNF
5. Charlotte Bell (GW) def. Eleni Fasoula (FOR) 6-2, 6-3
6. Nicole Li (FOR) vs. Lindsay Thompson (GW) 6-4, 3-4, DNF
Order of Finish: 5, 2, 1
DOUBLES
1. Arina Taluyenko/Maia Balce (FOR) vs. Sarah Bodewes/Stella Wiesemann (GW) 5-4, DNF
2. Alexis Nelson/Lindsay Thompson (GW) def. Eleni Fasoula/Nicole Li (FOR) 6-2
3. Charlotte Bell/Alexandra Vesikallio (GW) def. Genevieve Quenville/Valeriya Deminova (FOR) 6-2
Order of Finish: 3, 2
ORLANDO, Fla. - The third-seeded Richmond Spiders earned the final spot in the Atlantic 10 Women's Tennis semifinals with a 4-0 victory against No. 6 Davidson Thursday at the USTA National Campus in Orlando.
Davidson's duo of Mira Gladstone and Victoria Anyanwu picked up a quick 6-1 victory to start doubles play on court three, before Richmond's top pairing of Emily Dunbar and Dessi Zlateva evened the score with a 6-2 win at No. 2 doubles. Andy Campodonico and Sara Salemyr finished shortly after, winning at No. 2 doubles, 6-2.
In singles action, UR's Campodonico lost just one game to Gladstone, giving the Spiders a 2-0 match advantage with her 6-1, 6-0 win. Zlateva then finished her match, 6-3, 6-2 at No. 2 doubles to extend the Spiders lead to 3-0.
With Spiders on courts four and five pushing towards victory in their second sets, Adrienne Haynes clinched the match with a 6-2, 6-4 win at No. 6 singles.
Richmond's win earns them a spot in the semifinals against Rhode Island on Friday at 3:30 pm.
MATCH #9 - #3 RICHMOND def. #6 DAVIDSON, 4-0
SINGLES
1. Josie Schaffer (DAV) vs. Emily Dunbar (UR) 6-4, 4-6, DNF
2. Dessi Zlateva (UR) def. Elizabeth Truluck (DAV) 6-3, 6-2
3. Andy Campodonico (UR) def. Mira Gladstone (DAV) 6-1, 6-0
4. Polina Shitikova (UR) vs. Ava Ignatowich (DAV) 6-3, 4-3, DNF
5. Sara Salemyr (UR) vs. Franny Shea (DAV) 7-6(5), 2-1, DNF
6. Adrienne Haynes (UR) def. Charlotte James (DAV) 6-2, 6-4
Order of Finish: 3, 2, 6
DOUBLES
1. Emily Dunbar/Dessi Zlateva (UR) def. Josie Schaffer/Elizabeth Truluck (DAV) 6-2
2. Andy Campodonico/Sara Salemyr (UR) def. Charlotte James/Franny Shea (UR) 6-2
3. Mira Gladstone/Victoria Anyanwu (DAV) def. Adrienne Haynes/Marta Buendia (UR) 6-1
Order of Finish: 3, 1, 2