April 22, 2012

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MATCH #13 - RESULTS
#3 RICHMOND 4, #1 MASSACHUSETTS 3
CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. - Third-seeded Richmond claims its fifth Atlantic 10 Women's Tennis Championship title by upsetting the top-seeded Minutewomen of Massachusetts, 4-3, Sunday evening at the Boar's Head Sports Club in Charlottesville, Va.

Richmond won its fourth-straight title and conference-record ninth crown in the last ten years. The Spiders will be making their eleventh NCAA appearance, and eighth in the last nine years, in the NCAA Women's Tennis Championships.

Massachusetts got out to an early lead by claiming the double's point on wins in the number one and three doubles, 8-3 and 8-6, respectively. 

Richmond battled back by securing three consecutive points at the number one, three and five singles. With their backs against the wall, Massachusetts countered by winning the number two singles, 7-5, 6-1, and the number six singles, 6-4, 2-6, 6-3. 

With the teams grid locked at 3-3, the match would be determined by the number four singles match between Richmond's Elizabeth Sims and Jessica Podlofsky of Massachusetts.

Massachusetts' Podlofsky won the first set decidedly, 6-3, but surrendered the second to Sims in a tiebreaker, 7-6 (6). Approaching the fifth hour of competition, Sims held off Podlofsky, claiming the third set, 7-5, and earning her team the title.

The title earned the Spider's an automatic bid to the NCAA tournament and Richmond will play in the NCAA regional's next month.