Coach Daria Panova sits with her team during the Terps’ victory over George Washington on Jan. 26, 2014.
The No. 12-seed Terrapins tennis team took the courts of the Cary Tennis Park in North Carolina this morning in the first round against 13-seed Wake Forest hoping a win in the program’s final ACC tournament.
The Terps had beaten Wake Forest, 4-3, just two weeks earlier, but they fell this time around, 4-1, in a loss that likely ends their season.
The Terps (9-13, 4-11 ACC) lost the doubles point to the rival Demon Deacons (12-12, 4-11) after freshmen Olivia Gaudreault and Alexandra Stanova couldn’t close out their match.
In singles, the Demon Deacons success continued.
Sophomore Olga Bredikhina and Gaudreault — who sat out singles on Sunday because of shin splints — both lost in straight sets to push the Terps’ deficit to 3-0.
Senior Welma Luus got the team on the board, but it wasn’t enough. The Terps lost the next point when freshman Kristina Hovsepyan dropped her match to clinch the loss and send Wake Forest into the second round of the tournament, where they’ll take on 5-seed Duke.
The Terps didn’t win a match in their final nine ACC tournaments. And as the No. 73 team in the nation, the Terps appear destined to miss the NCAA tournament for the ninth consecutive season.
