ANNAPOLIS, Md. – Starting a four-game homestand with a short-handed squad, the Navy women's tennis team could not follow up on a strong doubles performance Sunday, suffering a 5-2 defeat to regional foe George Washington at the Tose Family Tennis Center.
 
With the Midshipmen sitting out several players due to sickness and rest and the Revolutionaries playing for the third-straight day, GW used the win to go to 3-1 on the season while Navy moved to 2-4 for the campaign.
 
Navy got out to a strong start with the No. 1 pairing of senior Sylvia Eklund and sophomore Anna Jordaan scoring a 6-0 victory over Vaida Matuseviciute and Karen Verduzco, while sophomore Olivia Fermo joined freshman Peyton Amspacher-Philemon in the No. 3 spot for a 6-2 win against Alejandra Ramirez and Solange Skeene that secured the doubles point in the Mids' favor.
 
GW would avoid the doubles sweep though, as Victoria Sasinka and Madison Lee held on to defeat sophomore Manci Pal and freshman Molly Bellia, 6-4, on the second court.
 
The Revolutionaries would even the score at the start of singles play when Lee claimed a 6-4, 6-1 win against Fermo in the No. 3 slot. GW then took the lead when Skeene edged out Jordaan, 6-1, 7-5 in the No. 5 spot, but Eklund got Navy a singles win in the top spot with a commanding 6-2, 6-2 victory against Sasinka. Despite Pal forcing a tiebreaker, Matuseviciute put GW ahead once again with a 6-3, 7-6 (7-4) win on the second court, while Verduzco finished off the Revs' third victory of the spring by beating Bellia in the fourth slot, 7-6 (14-12), 6-4.
 
Closing out the day, Ramirez outlasted Amspacher-Philemon in the No. 6 matchup, going the distance for a 6-2, 4-6, 6-0 victory.

Match Notes
• Navy shifted to 6-7 in the all-time series with GW.
• Eklund is now 4-1 in her career when playing at No. 1 doubles.

Up Next
Navy stays home next weekend for three matches, welcoming Virginia Tech on Saturday (Feb. 8) before hosting Villanova and Delaware for a Sunday doubleheader (Feb. 9).