Score: VCU 4, Richmond 3

Date: April 18, 2018

Location: Richmond, Va. (Thalhimer Tennis Center)

Records: VCU 14-5, Richmond 7-11

The short story: After Richmond fought back to tie the match at 3-3, freshman Sofia Sualehe won a three-set battle at No. 6 singles to clinch the match for VCU women's tennis.

OPENING SERVE

• VCU jumped out to a 1-0 lead with wins at No. 1 and No. 2 doubles. Junior Anna Rasmussen and sophomore Kanako Yano defeated Emily Dunbar and Kiana Marshall 6-1 at the No. 1 position before freshman Paola Exposito Diaz Delgado and sophomore Noumea Witmus topped Lyndell Giffenig and Adrienne Haynes 6-4 to clinch the point.
• Yano doubled the VCU lead with a quick 6-1, 6-3 win over Gaby Rosales at No. 5 singles.
• Diaz Delgado notched her team-leading 16th singles victory of the season to push the Rams lead to 3-1, defeating Marshall at No. 2 singles 6-4, 6-1.
• The Spiders battled back to tie the match with wins at No. 1 and No. 3 singles.
• Sualehe breezed through the first set against Haynes 6-1, but Richmond's No. 6 won the second set 7-5. Sualehe faced a barrage of lobs in the third set, but earned a crucial break at 4-3 with a powerful volley winner that put her in position to clinch the match.

THE RESULTS

Doubles

1 - Anna Rasmussen/Kanako Yano (VCU) def. Emily Dunbar/Kiana Marshall (UR)  6-1

2 - Paola Exposito Diaz-Delgado/Noumea Witmus (VCU) def. Lyndell Giffenig/Adrienne Haynes (UR)  6-4

3 - Marina Alcaide Bakkari/Sofia Sualehe (VCU) vs. Dessi Zlateva/Lea Owens (UR)  2-5 DNF

Order of Finish: 1, 2

Singles

1 - Emily Dunbar (UR) def. Anna Rasmussen (VCU)  6-4, 6-2

2 - Paola Exposito Diaz-Delgado (VCU) def. Kiana Marshall (UR)  6-4, 6-1

3 - Dessi Zlateva (UR) def. Marina Alcaide Bakkari (VCU)  7-6(2), 6-4

4 - Lea Owens (UR) def. Noumea Witmus (VCU)  6-3, 6-2

5 - Kanako Yano (VCU) def. Gaby Rosales (UR)  6-1, 6-3

6 - Sofia Sualehe (VCU) vs. Adrienne Haynes (UR)  6-1, 5-7, 6-3

Order of Finish: 5, 4, 2, 1, 3, 6

UP NEXT

With the regular season complete, the Rams head to Orlando, Fla. for the Atlantic 10 Tournament from April 26-29.