ANNAPOLIS, Md. – Going up against a visiting lineup that featured one of the nation's top-5 doubles pairings, the Navy women's tennis team fell by a 6-1 score to Delaware on Saturday afternoon at the Tose Family Tennis Center.
 
Saturday's result improved the Blue Hens' winning streak to eight and moved UD to a 9-2 overall record, while the Midshipmen fell to 9-4 on the spring.
 
Delaware fended off the Mids' best effort on the doubles courts, as the reigning CAA Doubles Team of the Week, Isabella Montana and Alina Vasilenko, battled to a 6-4 win over freshman Sia Chaudry and senior captain Casey Accola on the second court, while the No. 3-ranked pairing in the nation, Adel-Byanu Abidullina and Eliza Askarova, held off the top Navy duo of sophomore Emily Tannenbaum and junior Samantha Johns for a 7-5 victory to wrap up the doubles point.
 
Playing out doubles, UD's No. 3 team of Julieta Honrubia Andrino and Toni Nelson defeated sophomore Kate Lee and freshman Hanna Elks Smith in an hour-long match, 7-5.
 
Singles opened with Vasilenko pulling out a 7-5, 6-2 win against junior Stella Ribaudo in the No. 2 spot, while Nelson upended sophomore Sylvia Eklund with a 6-1, 6-3 score. Clinching the match for Delaware was No. 5 player Maryia Hrynashka with a 7-6 (15-13), 6-3 victory over Lee, while Johns got Navy a singles win on the sixth court via a 6-4, 7-6 (11-9) decision against Montana.
 
Finishing out the day were Abidullina knocking off Tannenbaum in the No. 1 matchup with a 6-1, 4-6, 6-4 final, and Askarova defeating Chaudry on the No. 3 court at 3-6, 6-2, 6-1.
 
"Our ladies battled today, as they do in every match," said head coach Keith Puryear. "In a nutshell, this match came down to being able to capitalize on opportunities we created for ourselves consistently. We did a good job of creating them, but we must be better at capitalizing on them. We've got four challenging matches coming up in Orlando that we need to prep for, followed by our conference slate. We're looking forward to a good week of practice to continue to process of getting better."

Johns and Tannenbaum's doubles match marked the first time this season that the Mids have faced a ranked doubles pairing and the highest-ranked opposing doubles pairing in program history, while Johns' win over Montana moved the junior to 2-0 in singles this season. Johns has also now faced a top-5 doubles pairing in back-to-back seasons, facing the No. 4-ranked duo of Tatsiana Sasnouskaya and Yuliia Starodubtseva from Old Dominion last season on April 10 alongside Ribaudo.
 
Navy returns to action on March 13-14, playing the quartet of Quinnipiac, UConn, South Dakota and Niagara in Orlando, Florida.