Score: Virginia 4, VCU 2

Date: May 11, 2018

Location: Columbia, S.C. (Carolina Tennis Center)

Records: VCU 17-6, Virginia 16-8

The short story: VCU's freshmen led the charge in a tough First Round NCAA Tournament battle, but the Rams ultimately fell to Virginia 4-2 to end a great season.

OPENING SERVE

• Freshman Sofia Sualehe and Marina Alcaide Bakkari were serving for match point at No. 3 doubles, but their match went unfinished when Virginia claimed victories at No. 1 and No. 2 doubles to take a 1-0 lead.
• Sualehe tied the match at 1-1 with a dominating 6-1, 6-2 victory over Hunter Bleser at No. 6 singles.
• Fellow freshman Paola Exposito Diaz-Delgado gave VCU the lead to 2-1 with a straight-set victory over Cassie Mercer at No. 2 singles, 6-2, 6-0.
• Cavalier victories at No. 5 and No. 3 singles pushed Virginia's lead to 3-2.
• Junior Anna Rasmussen nearly notched a victory over #32 Rosie Johanson at No. 1 singles, but her match went unfinished when Chloe Gullickson defeated sophomore Noumea Witmus in three sets, 3-6, 6-2, 6-2, at the No. 4 position.

THE RESULTS

SINGLES
1. #32 Rosie Johanson (UVA) vs Anna Rasmussen (VCU) 6-7(5), 5-4 susp.
2. Paola Delgado (VCU) def. Cassie Mercer (UVA) 6-2, 6-0
3. Meghan Kelley (UVA) def. Marina Alcaide (VCU) 6-4, 6-1
4. Chloe Gullickson (UVA) def. Noumea Witmus (VCU) 3-6, 6-2, 6-2
5. Teodora Radosavljevic (UVA) def. Kanako Yano (VCU) 6-3, 6-0
6. Sofia Sualehe (VCU) def. Hunter Bleser (UVA) 6-1, 6-2
Order of Finish: 6, 2, 5, 3, 4
DOUBLES
1. #54 Gullickson/Mercer (UVA) def. Rasmussen/Yano (VCU) 6-3
2. #16 Johanson/Kelley (UVA) def. Delgado/Witmus (VCU) 6-3
3. Bleser/Radosavljevic (UVA) vs Alcaide/Sualehe (VCU) 2-5 susp.
Order of Finish: 2, 1

A-10 CHAMPS

Although the Rams' season came to a close, VCU finished the year with a record of 17-6 and claimed the Atlantic 10 title for the fifth time in six years.