ANNAPOLIS, Md. – Keeping its undefeated start to the spring afloat, the Navy women's tennis team (3-0) prevailed late in a 5-2 win over non-conference foe Richmond (0-3) on Friday night at the Tose Family Tennis Center.
 
Looking to end a three-match slide in their all-time series against the Spiders, the Midshipmen battled to grab the victory on all three doubles courts before garnering wins at each of the top four singles spots, with sophomore Grace Li's three-set victory at the No. 4 position proving to be the clincher.
 
Navy got off to a good start when junior Anna Jordaan and sophomore Peyton Amspacher-Philemon held on a back-and-forth match against Richmond's No. 2 pairing of Elizabeth Novak and Lainey O'Neil, with the Mids winning, 6-4. Junior Olivia Fermo and freshman Nicole Fu then notched their own 6-4 win on the top court, thwarting a comeback attempt by the Spiders' Sofia Maria Barbulescu and Lara Bakhaya to clinch the doubles point, while Li and junior Julia Lee completed the sweep when they beat the third Richmond pairing of Lucy Webber and Beatriz Guerra, 6-3.
 
Fermo worked quick to extend the Navy lead, defeating Barbulescu on the top singles court in a 6-3, 6-2 contest, while sophomore Emma Gu added a 6-3, 6-3 victory against Bakhaya in the No. 2 matchup to put Navy on the verge of clinching. Richmond fought back to make it 3-2 with a pair of wins on the final two courts, as Abby Lee knocked off sophomore Molly Bellia in a 6-2, 6-4 decision at the No. 5 spot while Webber outlasted Jordaan over three sets on the sixth court, 6-3, 3-6, 6-2.
 
Li finally pushed the Mids over the finish line with her 6-4, 3-6, 6-3 victory against Guerra on the fourth court, extending her own singles winning streak, while Fu capped off the evening by edging out Novak in a 6-1, 5-7, 6-3 battle in the No. 3 position.

Head Coach Keith Puryear Comments
"Great team victory today. It was a tough, gritty match today by the ladies. Richmond is a battle-tested and well-coached team that last year battled to the finals of the A10 championship and was ranked No. 8 in our region. We knew it would be hard fought. Win or lose, everyone competed well. Our doubles did a good job of setting the tone and getting us on the board. Bright spots in singles were Liv, who beat a regionally-ranked opponent, along with Grace and Nicole winning three-setters. We must now recover and prepare for a very talented Morgan State team tomorrow."

Match Notes
• Navy is now 5-7 in the all-time series with Richmond, breaking a three-match losing streak to the Spiders.
• Li's clinching singles win marked her eighth-straight singles victory.
• Fermo's singles win marked her fourth-straight, while Fermo and Fu have now won three consecutive doubles matches together.
• Navy's 3-0 start is the program's first since the 2021-22 season.
 
Up Next
Navy closes its spring-opening homestand when it hosts Morgan State on Saturday. Match time is set for 12 noon.