ANNAPOLIS, Md. – It was a Sunday split for the Navy women's tennis team (3-6) at the Tose Family Tennis Center, as the Midshipmen ended their losing skid with a 4-3 victory over Villanova (2-4) in the first match of the day before being upended, 6-1, by Delaware (3-3) in the nightcap.
 
Villanova Recap
The Wildcats put Navy on its heels early by taking the doubles point, as Madeline Hills and Jenna Stevens beat the freshman duo of Peyton Amspacher-Philemon and Ji Soo Oh, 6-2, on the third court to open the morning. While the Mids responded with senior captain Kate Lee and sophomore Julia Lee pulling out a 6-4 victory in the No. 2 spot against Maggie Gehrig and Olivia Corcoran, Villanova finished the job on the top court when Lauren Monti and Sophie Edwards defeated senior Sylvia Eklund and sophomore Anna Jordaan, 7-5.
 
Navy started to recover when senior Emily Tannenbaum, ranked No. 88 in the nation, posted a 6-2, 6-1 victory in the top slot over Edwards, while freshman Emma Gu picked up a 6-1, 6-1 win on the No. 5 court against Stevens. Fellow freshman Molly Bellia then held off Valieriia Kornieva at the No. 6 spot in a 6-1, 4-6, 6-1 victory that put the Mids on the verge of clinching, but Gehrig outlasted Eklund at the No. 2 court via a 2-6, 6-4, 6-3 battle.
 
The Mids snapped its five-match losing streak when freshman Grace Li defeated Monti in a third-set tiebreaker on the fourth court, 6-0, 4-6, 7-6 (7-4). Closing out the match was Corcoran beating senior Parvathi Shanker at the No. 3 slot, 4-6, 6-2, 6-3.
 
Delaware Recap
A strong start from the Blue Hens put them in front of the Mids, opening with Maryia Hrynashka and Paulina Jurkowska defeating Tannenbaum and Gu in the top slot, 6-3. Finishing the doubles sweep, the No. 3 pairing of Greta Schieroni and Samantha Svendsen tallied a 6-4 win over Bellia and sophomore Manci Pal while the No. 2 duo of Alina Vasilenko and Cornelia Kack collected their own 6-4 victory against Shanker and Li.
 
In singles play, Schieroni was victorious in the No. 5 spot against Amspacher-Philemon, 6-3, 6-2, while Vasilenko shortly after defeated Pal on the second court, 6-2, 6-4. Kate Lee then fell in a 6-3, 6-3 match at the top spot to the No. 79-ranked Hrynashka to clinch Delaware's victory, with Navya Vadlamudi earning a 6-2, 6-4 win against Bellia in the No. 4 hole and Emma Akselrod posting a 4-6, 6-3, 6-1 victory over freshman Ji Soo Oh on the sixth court.
 
Navy lone victory of the match came at No. 3, as Jordaan overcame Jurkowska in a three-setter, 6-2, 4-6, 6-3.
 
Coach Keith Puryear Comments
"Today was an all-hands-on-deck call. Gritty performance today by the ladies. We toughed out the first match against a great Villanova team after losing the doubles point. Then, against Delaware, it was another war. That group fought tooth and nail for every point. While we had a couple tough losses in each, every singles match was close, regardless of score, hinging on a few critical points. We're moving in the right direction."
 
Match Notes
• Navy is now 12-0 in the all-time series with Villanova, while the Mids moved to 8-6 all-time against Delaware.
 
Up Next
Navy heads to Florida next weekend, playing at Tampa on Friday before battling rival academy Air Force in a Saturday showdown in Orlando.