Charlottesville, Va. - The William and Mary women's tennis team fell at No. 7 Virginia, 6-1, on Sunday afternoon. The Tribe's top doubles team of sophomores Maria Belaya and Jeltje Loomans recorded its third top-25 nationally ranked win on the season, while junior Anik Cepeda posted the lone Green and Gold point on the afternoon with a win at the No. 4 singles position. The Tribe, which is ranked No. 65 nationally, fell to 4-11 on the year, while the Cavaliers won their sixth straight match to improve to 12-2.

After UVA claimed the doubles point with wins at the No. 2 and No. 3 positions, the top spot featured a battle between two nationally-ranked foes as Belaya and Loomans, who are ranked No. 39 nationally, locked horns with the No. 16 nationally ranked Virginia team of Emily Fraser and Li Xi. The contest extended into a tiebreaker with Belaya and Loomans winning their ninth straight match, 8-7 (4). The Green and Gold tandem improved to 16-5 on the year with the victory and won three victories over the national doubles top 25.

In singles action, Cepeda recorded her second straight win over an ACC foe at the No. 4 position, downing the Cavaliers' Hana Tomljanovic. After the UVA player claimed the opening set, 6-4, Cepeda jumped out to a 2-1 lead in the second set, before Tomljanovic was unable to continue and retired. It marked Cepeda's sixth win of the season.

At the No. 2 post, Loomans dropped a three-set tilt with a nationally ranked opponent. No. 42-ranked Lindsey Hardenbergh took the opening set, 6-2, before the Tribe sophomore bounced back to win the second, 6-2. In the decisive third set, Hardenbergh outlasted Loomans, 6-4, to wrap up the 6-1 Virginia victory.

The Tribe returns to the Millie West Tennis Facility for three straight home matches next week. The Green and Gold will host Virginia Tech on Tuesday, March 20, at 1 p.m. The College welcomes a pair of Ivy League foes to Williamsburg on Friday, March 23, and Saturday, March 24. W&M faces Columbia on Friday at 2 p.m., before meeting Harvard on Saturday at 1 p.m.

#7 Virginia 6, #65 William and Mary 1
Singles
No. 1 - #15 Emily Fraser (UVA) def. #109 Maria Belaya (W&M) - 7-5, 6-3
No. 2 - #42 Lindsey Hardenbergh (UVA) def. Jeltje Loomans (W&M) - 6-2, 2-6, 6-4
No. 3 - #90 Li Xi (UVA) def. Hope Johnson (W&M) - 6-0, 6-1
No. 4 - Anik Cepeda (W&M) def. Hana Tomljanovic (UVA) - 4-6, 2-1, retire
No. 5 - Erin Vierra (UVA) def. Katie Kargl (W&M) - 6-1, 6-1
No. 6 - Caryssa Petez (UVA) def. Sydney Smith (W&M) - 6-4, 6-1
Finishing Order: 3, 4, 5, 6*, 1, 2

Doubles
No. 1 - #39 Belaya/Loomans (W&M) def. #16 Fraser/Xi (UVA) - 8-7 (4)
No. 2 - Vierra/Tomljanovic (UVA) def. Cepeda/Johnson (W&M) - 8-2
No. 3 - Hardenbergh/Peretz (UVA) def. Kargl/Ford (W&M) - 8-3
Finishing Order: 2, 3*, 1