ORLANDO, Fla. – For the second time in three years, the Navy women’s tennis team had a freshman earn the clinching point in a 4-2 victory over service academy rival Air Force, as rookie Emma Gu closed out a celebratory Saturday evening for the Midshipmen at the USTA National Campus in Orlando, Fla.
Saturday’s result also improves the Mids to 5-6 on the season and 2-0 on their first Florida trip of 2025, while the rival Falcons moved to 4-5 on the campaign.
Navy gained the early advantage by claiming the doubles points, coming down to the Mids breaking away on the top court. After senior Parvathi Shanker and freshman Grace Li used a strong start to post the 6-4 win over the No. 79-nationally-ranked pairing of Shivaani Selvan and Sofia Mavor on the third court, Air Force brought it even at No. 2 doubles with Alexis Odom and Maya Michalski pulling away from senior Sylvia Eklund and sophomore Anna Jordaan for a 6-3 victory.
In the top spot, senior Emily Tannenbaum and sophomore Olivia Fermo found themselves tied 4-4 against Arianna Van Houweling and Nadia Kojonroj, but the Navy duo claimed the last two points for a doubles-clinching 6-4 win.
Kojonroj helped the Falcons begin singles play with a quick 6-3, 6-0 win over senior captain Kate Lee in the No. 3 slot, but Navy retook the team lead when Shanker held off Mavor, 6-1, 7-5, at the No. 4 position.
Tannenbaum then put the Mids on the verge of victory when she downed Odom in the top contest, 6-1, 5-7, 6-2, while the Falcons kept their hopes alive courtesy of Van Houweling edging out Eklund on the second court, 4-6, 6-2, 6-1.
With Gu and fellow freshman Molly Bellia both looking to finish off their opponents, the star of the match proved to be Gu via a 7-5, 7-5 win over Giovanna Sanchirico in the No. 5 spot.
Match Notes
• Navy is now 2-0 in the all-time series with Air Force.
• Gu joins former Navy standout Sia Chaudry in being the clinching point for Navy’s wins over Air Force, as the then-freshmen Chaudry scored a three-set win over No. 3 singles player Isabella Flodin on Feb. 18, 2023.
• Tannenbaum and Gu have both won three-straight singles matches.
• Navy has a combined 5-1 mark in their last six meetings against a rival service academy.
Up Next
Navy will host Wake Forest on Feb. 21 before welcoming Towson and George Mason the next day for a doubleheader.
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