Syracuse can’t keep up with No. 7 Virginia in 6-1 loss on road

After winning five of its first six matches, Syracuse has dropped its first two in Atlantic Coast Conference play.

The 59th-ranked Orange (5-3, 0-2 ACC) couldn’t keep up with No. 7 Virginia (7-2, 1-0) in a 6-1 loss at the Boar’s Head Sports Club in Charlottesville, Virginia.

Syracuse began the day by losing the doubles section as their experimental mix-and-match doubles pairings could not capture the point. The pairings had been working as Syracuse had won the doubles point in the past three matches.

The team of sophomore Rhiann Newborn and senior Amanda Rodgers fell 8-2 to Virginia’s Danielle Collins and Stephanie Nauta.

Virginia cinched the point when senior Breanna Bachini and freshman Nicole Mitchell lost to Maci Epstein and Marie Faure 8-3.

SU’s top pair, senior Komal Safdar and sophomore Valeria Salazar, trailed UVA’s Cassie Mercer and Skylar Morton 7-5 when officials suspended play.

Syracuse had no greater chance in the singles portion of the match as the Cavaliers dominated. Faure beat Mitchell 6-1, 6-1 and Nauta topped Salazar 6-3, 6-3 to push the match to its brink.

Virginia completed the push over the hill and captured the win when Collins, the 42nd-ranked
singles player nationally, defeated Rodgers 7-5, 6-3.

The lone victory of Syracuse’s came from Bachini as she outlasted Mercer in a marathon match of 3-6, 7-5, 15-13.

Newborn (5-2) suffered her second loss of the season as Morton took a crucial third set in a 6-4, 2-6, 6-3 match.

SU dropped to 2-2 against ranked opponents this season, losing to Virginia and then-No. 7 Alabama while beating then-No. 35 Princeton and then-No. 39 South Florida.

Syracuse will play at Notre Dame on Friday in South Bend, Indiana at 3:30 p.m.

Compiled by Sam Fortier, staff writer, sjfortie@syr.edu