SEATTLE, Wash. – The #7 Pepperdine women's tennis team was felled 4-1 by #3 Duke in an ITA National Team Indoor Championships quarterfinal matchup at the Nordstrom Tennis Center on Sunday afternoon.
Ashley Lahey highlighted the match with a dominant 6-4, 6-2 victory over #11 Maria Mateas in the No. 1 singles position. #13
Evgeniya Levashova was also leading in a match against #8 Meible Chi before it was abandoned.
The loss dropped the Waves record to 3-1 in the season.
RESULTS
Pepperdine 1, Duke 4
Singles
1:
Ashley Lahey (PEPP) def. #11 Maria Mateas (DUKE) – 6-4, 6-2
2: #13
Evgeniya Levashova (PEPP) vs. #8 Meible Chi (DUKE) – 6-3, 4-3, unfinished
3: #21 Kelly Chen (DUKE) def. #52
Jessica Failla (PEPP) – 6-2, 6-4
4:
Adrijana Lekaj (PEPP) vs. #100 Kaitlyn McCarthy (DUKE) – 5-7, 3-1, unfinished
5: Margaryta Bilokin (DUKE) def.
Satsuki Takamura (PEPP) – 6-1, 6-1
6: Ellyse Hamlin (DUKE) def.
Anastasia Iamachkine (PEPP) – 4-6, 2-6
Order of Finish: 5, 6, 1, 3*
Doubles
1: #1
Ashley Lahey/Evgeniya Levashova (PEPP) vs. #30 Margaryta Bilokin/Maria Mateas (DUKE) – 4-4, unfinished
2: Kaitlyn McCarthy/Ellyse Hamlin (DUKE) def. #12
Jessica Failla/Anastasia Iamachkine (PEPP) – 6-2
3: Kelly Chen/Meible Chi (DUKE) def.
Dzina Milovanovic/Daria Kuczer (PEPP) – 6-4
Order of Finish: 2, 3*
NOTABLES
- Last year, Pepperdine reached the ITA National Team Indoor Championships final, falling just short to North Carolina.
- This match was the Waves' first loss of the season.
- Pepperdine has posted a 37-2 record at home the past four seasons, including the current campaign.
- The win was Ashley Lahey's first against a ranked player this season.
- Ashley Lahey and Evgeniya Levashova are currently ranked #1 in the Oracle/ITA doubles rankings. The duo has posted three dual wins this season and have gone 12-2 overall.
- The Waves are now 10-6 in dual singles action and 6-2 in doubles play collectively. In doubles, Pepperdine has gone 10-4 against ranked opponents, while they have posted a 19-21 in singles matches against ranked team competition.
- Lekaj and Levashova lead the Waves with 16 wins overall this season.
- Anastasia Iamachkine has also reached the double-digit singles win mark with 10 this season, all from tournament play.
PLAY-BY-PLAY
The match began with doubles this afternoon, and although the Waves put up a good fight on all courts, the Blue Devils pulled ahead on courts two and three to collect wins and the doubles point advantage. #1
Ashley Lahey and
Evgeniya Levashova's match against #30 Margaryta Bilokin and Maria Mateas was abandoned at 4-4 due to the clinch.
In singles action, Duke pulled ahead on four courts, while the Waves managed first set wins on courts one and two. Pepperdine fell behind in the overall score 3-0 after the opposition collected wins on courts five and six. Lahey then highlighted the day with a two-set victory over #11 Maria Mateas to put her team on the board. Despite rallying back for a few points, the competition earned the final win on court three to end the match with a 4-1 result.
ITA NATIONAL TEAM INDOOR CHAMPIONSHIPS
The ITA Division I National Women's Team Indoor Championship is in its 32
nd year of existence. Fifteen teams qualified for the event by winning their respective 2019 ITA Kick-Off Weekend four-team regional, while University of Washington received an automatic bid as the host site. The teams will compete in a single-elimination tournament over a four-day span to crown a national indoor champion. Each team is guaranteed three matches at the event.
Last year, North Carolina and Pepperdine faced off in the final. The Tar Heels took the victory with a 4-2 win.
NEXT UP
Next week, the Waves host Arizona State and Cal on February 15 and 16 in Malibu.
FOLLOW
Follow the Waves all season @WavesTennis on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Check for schedules, results and recaps on
www.PepperdineWaves.com
