RICHMOND, Va. (March 16, 2019) – The ETSU women’s tennis team returned to action today at the Thalhimer Tennis center in Richmond, Va., as the Bucs fell to VCU 4-3. ETSU drops to 5-8, while VCU improves to 11-3.

Raquel Amaro (Caracas, Venezuela) and Yi Chi Ma (Kaohsiung, Taiwan) got things started for the Bucs with a 6-0 win at the No. 2 spot. The duo picked up their sixth win of the season. VCU’s Alcaide Bakkari and Sofia Sualehe tied the doubles point 1-1 after they defeated Yunuen Elizarraras (Cuernavaca, Mexico) and Andrea Pascual-Larrinaga (Basauri, Spain) 6-3. Laylo Bakhodirova (Tashkent, Uzbekistan) and Alejandra Morales (Santiago, Chile) clinched the doubles point for the Bucs with a 6-4 win over Anna Rasmussen and Melissa Ifidzhen.

Morales gave ETSU a 2-0 advantage at the No. 2 spot after winning the first set 6-2 and was in the middle of her second set 2-2 before Rasmussen had an injury. Paola Exposito Diaz-Delgado put VCU on the board with a 6-4, 6-0 win over Bakhodirova. Freshman Amaro picked up her tenth win of the season after defeating Kanako Yano 7-5, 6-1 to put the Bucs ahead 3-1. Yi Chi Ma fell 6-2, 7-5 to Sofia Sualehe at the No. 6 spot and Noumea Witmus of VCU tied the match at three with a win at the No. 5 spot. Elizarraras won the first set 3-6, but Witmus came back to win 6-3, 6-4. With the match tied, Pascual-Larrinaga put up a fight at the No. 3 spot, but Bakkari would clinch the match for VCU with a 6-2, 2-6, 7-6 (6) win.

The Bucs continue their nine match road stint when they kick off conference play on Thursday, March 21 at Wofford. The match is set for 2:00 p.m. in Spartanburg, S.C.

DOUBLES:

1. Laylo Bakhodirova/Alejandra Morales (ETSU) def. Anna Rasmussen/Melissa Ifidzhen (VCU), 6-4
2. Raquel Amaro/Yi Chi Ma (ETSU) def. Paola Exposito Diaz-Delgado/Kanako Yano (VCU) 6-0
3. Marina Alcaide Bakkari/Sofia Sualehe (VCU) def. Yunuen Elizarraras/Andrea Pascual-Larrinaga (ETSU),6-3

Order of Finish:  2, 3, 1  

SINGLES: 
1. Paola Exposito Diaz-Delgado (VCU) def. Laylo Bakhodirova (ETSU) 6-4, 6-0

2. Alejandra Morales (ETSU) def. Anna Rasmussen (VCU) 6-3, 2-2 injury default
3. Marina Alcaide Bakkari (VCU) def. Andrea Pascual-Larrinaga (ETSU) 6-2, 2-6, 7-6 (6)
4. Raquel Amaro (ETSU) def. Kanako Yano (VCU) 7-5, 6-1
5. Noumea Witmus (VCU) def. Yunuen Elizarraras (ETSU) 3-6, 6-3, 6-4
6. Sofia Sualehe (VCU) def. Yi Chi Ma (ETSU) 6-2, 7-5

Order of Finish:  2, 1, 4, 6, 5, 3

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For more information on Buccaneer women’s tennis visit ETSUBucs.com and click on the women’s tennis page.