Seniors Lift Clemson Past Boston College, 4-3, In ACC First Round
CARY, N.C. – Senior Daniela Medvedeva’s thrilling three-set victory on court three gave the 13th-seeded Clemson Women’s Tennis team (12-12) a 4-3 win over 12th-seeded Boston College (7-14) in the first round of the ACC Championship at Cary Tennis Park. Three of Clemson’s seniors, Eleni Louka, Medvedeva, Jenna Thompson, and Junior Sophia Hatton, each won singles matches after dropping a tight doubles point and the first singles decision.
The Tigers advance to play 5th-seeded Georgia Tech at 3:30 p.m. on Thursday. Ticket information, live scoring, and a live stream are available on the ACC Championship home site.
“Today was a truly gutsy effort from this group,” said Head Coach Boomer Saia, who earned his first ACC Tournament victory. “Last time, we lost 4-3 to Boston College. Coupling that with our loss in doubles today, we decided to stay and fight.”
Sais went on to say, “As a coach, it was great to watch our players put in the effort and dig deep. Eleni and Jenna were able to go out there early and secure two points for us, with Sophia getting that crucial third point. Dani sealed the deal with a truly gritty win. I am proud of our group. They have truly exhausted all they had in the tank, which is what we preach every day. Tonight, we are going to celebrate, recharge, and get back out there to play against Georgia Tech.”
Sophia Hatton and Alina Tsyurpalevych worked hard in doubles but fell 6-4 in the first loss of the day. Following quickly after, Eleni Louka and Jenna Thompson battled hard to tie the match at 6-6 and sent it to a tiebreak. Coming down to the last point, Boston College edged the Tigers 7-6 (6) and secured the doubles point. Playing out, Cristina Mayorova and Leigh Van Zyl fell 6-4.
A swift loss from Van Zyl put the Tigers down 2-0 with five singles matches to go. On court one, Louka took down Marice Aguiar 6-2, 6-4, and gave the Tigers their first win of the day. Quickly following, Thompson defeated Stephanie Sanchez 6-4, 6-4.
Tied at 2-2, Mayorova dropped her match on court two, 6-2, 7-5. Coming down to the last two matches, the Tigers dug deep and pulled off the win. Hatton defeated Glowacka 7-5, 6-4.
With one point left for grabs, Medvedeva battled hard. The first two sets were split 5-7 and 6-2, with everything coming down to the last set. Mahajan took the early lead by going up to 4-1, but Medvedeva dueled back and tied the match to 5-5. After battling back and forth, Medvedeva took the third set 7-5 to advance the Tigers to the second round of the ACC Tournament.
Clemson 4, Boston College 3
Doubles:
- Marice Aguiar/Stephanie Sanchez (BC) def. Eleni Louka/Jenna Thompson (CU), 7(6)-6
- Seren Agar/Nada Dimovska (BC) def. Cristina Mayorova/Leigh Van Zyl (CU), 6-4
- Natalie Eordekian/Tola Glowacka (BC) def. Sophia Hatton/Alina Tsyurpalevych (CU), 6-4
Order of Finish: 3,1,2
Singles:
- Eleni Louka (CU) def. Marice Aguiar (BC), 6-2, 6-4
- Natalie Eordekian (BC) def. Cristina Mayorova (CU), 6-2, 7-5
- Daniella Medvedeva (CU) def. Muskan Mahajan (BC) 5-7, 6-2, 7-5
- Sophia Hatton (CU) def. Tola Glowacka (BC), 7-5, 6-4
- Jenna Thompson (CU) def. Stephanie Sanchez (BC) 6-4, 6-4
- Seren Agar (BC) def. Leigh Van Zyl (CU), 6-3, 6-0
Order of Finish: 6,1,5,2,4,3
