BLACKSBURG, Va. – Giving a full-team effort, the Navy women's tennis team (5-4) nearly pulled off the upset Saturday afternoon in a 4-3 loss to regional power Virginia Tech (3-1) at the Burrows-Burleson Tennis Center.
 
After rallying for the doubles win and picking up a pair of singles victories, the Midshipmen forced a third set in the deciding singles match to put the Hokies on notice, but the host ACC school held on to earn its third win of the year.
 
Despite falling into an early hole in doubles when junior Anna Jordaan and sophomore Peyton Amspacher-Philemon dropped the top court to Arina Gamretkaia and Ozlem Uslu, 6-1, the Mids bounced back to secure the doubles point. Starting off with junior Olivia Fermo and freshman Nicole Fu winning the last three points for a 6-4 victory over the No. 2 Hokies pairing of Mila Mulready and Linda Ziets-Segura, Navy clinched it with junior Julia Lee and sophomore Grace Li earning a 6-3 win against Elizaveta Castillo and Kirsten Woods on the third court.
 
Virginia Tech evened the score to start singles when Uslu beat Fu on the top court, 6-2, 6-1, but sophomore Molly Bellia answered for Navy with a 6-3, 6-4 win at the No. 5 spot over Mulready.
 
With the Hokies grabbing another singles point via Gamretkaia's 6-1, 6-4 victory against Li on the third court, the teams split the next two matches when Fermo knocked off Laima Frosch, 4-6, 6-0, 6-4, in the No. 2 position but Alston Myatt upended freshman Jina Cha by a 6-4, 7-5 decision on the sixth court.
 
Coming down to the No. 4 spot, Castillo was able to overcome Jordaan's late push for a 6-2, 5-7, 6-4 match-clinching victory.
 
Head Coach Keith Puryear Comments
"Today was a tough, hard-fought match. Tough one to lose. Tech is always one of the better teams in the region, so we knew what to expect. We talked afterwards so that we're all on the same page, because we've got to be ready tomorrow for Villanova and George Mason. We expect that each person who competed today takes the lessons learned forward with them. In a match as close as this one was, it really comes to your execution, consistent execution, particularly in those critical moments that will arise. That's what we'll be looking for tomorrow."
 
Match Notes
• Navy moves to 0-3 in the all-time series with Virginia Tech.
• Fermo and Fu's doubles win marked their team-leading 13th victory as a pairing this season.
 
Up Next
Navy will return to Annapolis tomorrow to host Villanova (11 a.m.) and George Mason (2 p.m.) in a doubleheader at the Tose Family Tennis Center.