JMU Drops Thriller in Final-Match Tiebreaker to #67 VCU

Friday, April 5

Harrisonburg, Va.

10 a.m.

James Madison University

VCU

4/5/2024 5:38:00 PM | Women's Tennis

Box Score

HARRISONBURG, Va. – James Madison women's tennis held a pair of leads in singles play, but #67 VCU rattled off win on courts five and six, including a thrilling tiebreak win in the final match, to defeat the Dukes, 4-3, on Friday afternoon at East Campus Tennis Courts.

The Rams improved to 13-6 on the year, while JMU evened its record to 8-8. VCU won for the 16th straight time against JMU, though Friday marked the fourth time over the past five meetings (since 2020) that the match was a 4-3 decision.

Hope Moulin went 2-0 on the day, capturing victories in both doubles and singles. She was joined in the singles win column by Daria Munteanu and Ines Oliveira. Munteanu has now won six straight singles matches, improving to 7-2 at the top slot, while Oliveira captured her third win in a row on court two.

On the doubles side, Moulin and Reka Matko remained unbeaten as a tandem, moving to 6-0 on court three.

VCU was paced by Tiziana Rossini and Emma Rizzetto, who secured the doubles point and claimed the final two points for the road win.

HOW IT HAPPENED
Doubles Play

VCU gained the early advantage, as Yelizaveta Karlova and Emma Valleta won three straight games to upend Munteanu and Oliveira, 6-2, on court one.
The tandem of Matko and Moulin remained unbeaten this spring with a tight 6-4 win over Anja Draskovic and Mariam Ibrahim.
The Rams rallied to win the doubles point on court two. Trailing 4-1, Rizzetto and Rossini won four straight games to take a 5-4 lead. Tied 5-5, the duo reeled off consecutive games, including one deuce point, to down Cate Broerman and Alexandra Prudente, 7-5.

Singles Play

On the three-court venue, each of the first three matches would go the distance, with JMU taking two of three.
JMU tied the match at 1-1 on court one, as Munteanu won the first in a tiebreak and rallied back from down 2-1 in the third, winning five of the final six games to down Karlova, 7-6 (3), 1-6, 6-3.
The Dukes grabbed the 2-1 lead over on court two, as Oliveira hunkered down in the third set, overcoming a 4-2 deficit, breaking Tania Andrade Sabando twice en route to a 7-5, 3-6, 6-4 triumph.
VCU squared the bout at 2-2 on court three, as Draskovic pulled away in the third to earn a 7-6 (3), 3-6, 6-3 victory over Broerman.
JMU snatched the lead back, at 3-2, as Moulin powered past Valletta in straight sets, taking court four by scores of 6-3, 6-3.
The Rams tied things up again, this time at 3-3, as Rossini stormed back in the second set, overcoming a 5-0 deficit and defeating Matko in a tiebreak, at 6-3, 7-6 (2).
The final match would be capped off by a third-set tiebreak, in which VCU won 9-7. After dropping the first set, Prudente came back with a 6-3 victory in the second. Down 5-3 in the third, she would win three of four games to force a breaker.
In the tiebreak, Rizzetto led 5-3 before Prudente reeled off three in a row to take a 6-5 advantage. Rizzetto staved off the match point and later broke a 7-7 tie with back-to-back points to clinch the match at 6-2, 3-6, 7-6 (7).

UP NEXT
JMU is back in action on Saturday, April 6 when it hosts in-state rival Old Dominion as part of the TowneBank Royal Rivalry Challenge. That match is slated for a 10 a.m. start at East Campus Tennis Courts.