UVA women’s tennis sweeps Princeton; Advances to NCAA Round of 16

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. (WVIR) - The Virginia women’s tennis team earned a spot in the NCAA Tournament Round of 16 for the second year in a row, and the seventh time in program history, as the 5-seed Cavaliers defeated Princeton 4-0 on Sunday at the Virginia Tennis Facility.

UVA won the doubles point against the Tigers, and freshman Elaine Chervinsky started the singles scoring with a 6-2, 6-2 victory at No. 3 singles.

Sophomore Natasha Subhash quickly added another point with a 6-3, 6-3 win at No. 3 singles, and Hibah Shaikh closed out the match with a 6-4, 6-2 victory at No. 5 singles.

Head coach Sara O’Leary says, “I think the (NCAA Tournament) experience has really, really helped us, and it’s just been something we’ve been talking about as a team. How do we look at those pressure moments. Are we embracing them, or are we pushing them away? I think the girls have really changed their mindset, when it comes to pressure, and when it comes to those tough moments. I think they’re learning to really enjoy those moments, and enjoy the competitive fight.”

Chervinsky adds, “Going into these next matches, I think we’re really great on a ‘soulful’ level, I guess I could say. We’re all in sync. We all are out there for the same reasons. We all have the same goals, and it’s great that we’re all putting in the same amount of effort. It’s really great.”

Virginia will host the Oklahoma State in the Round of Sixteen next weekend.

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