BLACKSBURG, Va. – The Virginia Tech women’s tennis team defeated Louisville 6-1 at the Burrows-Burleson Tennis Center on Friday night. The Hokies won all but one singles match and swept the doubles competition to open up the match. Tech improves to 6-3 on the season while Louisville slips to 5-4 on the year.

Tech got out to an early lead in singles competition, capturing wins in the No. 3, 4 and 5 spots. Yasmin Hamza (Jr., Cairo, Egypt) captured a No. 3 victory, defeating Amelia Harris 6-4, 1-6, 6-4. At No. 4, Shannon Betts (So., Newnan, Ga.) defeated Kaysara Mandry 6-2, 6-1. Courtney Rauscher tacked on another win for the Hokies with a 7-6, 2-6, 6-1 defeat of Stefanie Villajuan.

Closing out singles play, Martha Blakely (So., Reading, Pa.) rallied to defeat Sarah Miller in the No. 1 spot, 1-6, 7-6, 6-2, and the No. 2 match ended in favor of Tech’s Christin Newman (Fr., Greensboro, N.C.) as she came from a set down to defeat Mandy Brown 5-7, 6-4, 6-3.

Tech’s only defeat of the evening came in the No. 6 slot as Louisville’s Gabrielle Duncan defeated Emily Lauten (Fr., Marietta, Ga.) 1-6, 6-4, 6-1.

The Hokies swept the doubles competition to begin the contest as the Betts/ Newman combination defeated Louisville’s Miller/ Brown team, 8-4, in the No. 1 spot. Blakely/ Lauten defeated Harris/ Villajuan, 8-6, in the No. 2 spot and Hamza/ Johnson earned Tech its biggest doubles victory with an 8-1 defeat of Mandry/ Noe in the No. 3 spot.

The Hokies will return to action On Sunday, March 5, when they host South Alabama starting at Noon.

No. 73 Tech defeats Louisville, 6-1

Singles
1. Martha Blakely (VT) def. Sarah Miller (UL) 1-6, 7-6, 6-2
2. Christin Newman (VT) def. Mandy Brown (UL) 5-7, 6-4, 6-3
3. Yasmin Hamza (VT) def. Amelia Harris (UL) 6-4, 1-6, 6-4
4. Shannon Betts (VT) def. Kaysara Mandry (UL) 6-2, 6-1
5. Courtney Rauscher (VT) def. Stefanie Villajuan (UL) 7-6, 2-6, 6-1
6. Gabrielle Duncan (UL) def. Emily Lauten (VT) 1-6, 6-4, 6-1
Singles: 4,3,5*,6,1,2

Doubles
1. Betts/Newman (VT) def Miller/ Brown (UL) 8-4
2. Blakely/Lauten (VT) def. Harris/ Villajuan (UL) 8-6
3. Hamza/ Johnson (VT) def. Mandry/ Noe (UL) 8-1

Doubles: 3,1,2
*clinching point