WASHINGTON, D.C. – All good things come to an end, including Longwood women's tennis' unbeaten start to the 2019 season.
After starting the season 3-0 under first-year head coach
Jhonnatan Medina Alvarez, the Lancers (3-1) suffered their first setback of the spring 6-1 at the hands of Big East member Georgetown Thursday afternoon at the East Campus Tennis Courts.
The Hoyas (2-4) parlayed two 6-0 doubles wins at Nos. 1 and 3 to a near-sweep in singles play, as Georgetown jumped out to a 6-0 lead before Lancer freshman
Emma Nurgazieva broke up the shutout with an 8-5 pro-set win over Hoya No. 5 Anna Short.
The loss halts what was tied for Longwood's best start of the Division I era and only the second 3-0 start in that 15-year span. It snapped a streak of six straight matches in which Longwood amassed six points with wins over Christopher Newport (6-3), Bluefield State (6-1) and Chowan (6-1) to start the year.
However, that tear ended in the nation's capital behind a one-sided singles performance in which the Hoyas won the top four positions in straight sets and in turn ended the season-opening singles win streaks of both Lancer junior
Jamie Breunig and freshman
Anika Tylek. Both of those Lancers entered the match 3-0 this spring, but Georgetown's Sydney Goodson handed Breunig a 6-4, 6-1 loss at No. 2, while Elana De Santis defeated Tylek 6-0, 6-0 at No. 3.
The Hoyas also picked up a straight-set win at No. 1 as Sofie Monester defeated Lancer frontrunner
Yulia Almiron 6-2, 6-4 and at No. 4 as former All-Big East performer Risa Nakagawa took down Longwood junior
Marija Venta 6-1, 6-0.
With the match in hand, the teams switched the format for the final two singles bouts to a pro set, which saw Cecilia Lynham defeat Longwood redshirt freshman
Crystal Nzewi 8-1 before Nurgazieva knocked off Short 8-5.
The win was the team-leading fourth of the season for Nurgazieva, who remains Longwood's lone unbeaten singles player this spring at 4-0.
The Lancers will now get three days to prepare for another road trip this weekend, which sends them to Fredericksburg, Va., where they will take on Division II powerhouse Mary Washington at 11 a.m.
Georgetown 6, Longwood 1
Feb. 14, 2019
Washington, D.C. (East Campus Tennis Courts)
Singles competition
1. MOENSTER, Sofie (GU) def. ALMIRON, Yulia (LWU) 6-2, 6-4
2. GOODSON, Sydney (GU) def. BREUNIG, Jamie (LWU) 6-4, 6-1
3. DE SANTIS, Elena (GU) def. TYLEK, Anika (LWU) 6-0, 6-0
4. NAKAGAWA, Risa (GU) def. VENTA, Marija (LWU) 6-1, 6-0
5. NURGAZIEVA, Emma (LWU) def. SHORT, Anna (GU) 8-5
6. LYNHAM, Cecilia (GU) def. NZEWI, Crystal (LWU) 8-1
Doubles competition
1. GOODSON, Sydney/NAKAGAWA, Risa (GU) def. TYLEK, Anika/VENTA, Marija (LWU) 6-0
2. MOENSTER, Sofie/LYNHAM, Cecilia (GU) vs. ALMIRON, Yulia/BREUNIG, Jamie (LWU) 4-1, unfinished
3. SHORT, Anna/DE SANTIS, Elena (GU) def. NURGAZIEVA, Emma/NZEWI, Crystal (LWU) 6-0
Match Notes
Longwood 3-1
Georgetown 2-4
Order of finish: Doubles (1,3); Singles (4,3,1,2,6,5)
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