ORLANDO, Fla.-- The Penn State women's tennis team prevailed, 4-3, over No. 48 VCU in the USTA National Campus Collegiate Series. Chelsea Sawyer (Clemmons, N.C.) clinched the victory for the Nittany Lions with a win on court No. 4.
Junior captains Shannon Hanley (Kensington, Md.) and Samantha Smith (Cary, N.C.) showed their experience, clinching the doubles point and securing singles wins to help the Nittany Lions to victory. Smith eclipsed 50 career singles wins with her triumph today.
Penn State improves to 9-3 and remains 1-0 in the Big Ten, while VCU drops to 9-3. The last time Penn State defeated a ranked opponent was on April 17, 2015 when the team dispatched No. 50 Michigan State, 4-3.
"We always have battles with VCU and today was no different," said head coach Chris Cagle. "It took over three hours to get the ranked win but our team did a great job of digging in and winning some key points. The experiences of the year are paying off for us in some pressure situations. I look forward to us building on this in the coming weeks."
DOUBLES
The Nittany Lions went 2-1 in doubles play to secure the point. Smith and Hanley clinched the point with a dramatic victory over Diaz-Delgado/Yano, 7-6(5).
Frederikke Svarre (Copenhagen, Denmark) and Sawyer grabbed the other victory for the Nittany Lions, defeating Witmus/Sualehe, 6-2.
SINGLES
Sawyer clinched the match victory for the Nittany Lions, winning in come-from-behind fashion in three sets over Ifidzhen, 2-6, 6-3, 6-3.
Smith captured career win 50 over Witmus, 6-2, 7-6(3). Hanley defeated Sualehe in straight sets, 6-3, 6-3.
UP NEXT
Penn State will wrap up its road games with a match at No. 10 Ohio State in Columbus, Ohio on Sunday, March 17 at 12 p.m.
Keep up with the Penn State women's tennis team at GoPSUsports.com. For continued updates throughout the year, make sure to `like' our Facebook page at www.facebook.com/pennstatewten and follow our twitter @pennstateWTEN.
Doubles Final:
1. Rasmussen/Ifidzhen (VCU) def. Gabby O'Gorman/Olivia Rohrbacher (PSU) 7-5
2. Samantha Smith/Shannon Hanley (PSU) def. Diaz-Delgado/Yano (VCU) 7-6(5)
3. Frederikke Svarre/Chelsea Sawyer (PSU) def. Witmus/Sualehe (VCU) 6-2
Singles Final:
1. #78 Diaz-Delgado (VCU) def. Gabby O'Gorman (PSU) 6-0, 6-2
2. Rasmussen (VCU) def. Olivia Rohrbacher (PSU) 6-1, 4-6, 7-6(3)
3. Yano (VCU) def. Frederikke Svarre (PSU) 6-4, 6-2
4. Chelsea Sawyer (PSU) def. Ifidzhen (VCU) 2-6, 6-3, 6-3
5. Samantha Smith (PSU) def. Witmus (VCU) 6-2, 7-6(3)
6. Shannon Hanley (PSU) def. Sualehe (VCU) 6-3, 6-3
