The Virginia women’s tennis team advanced to the Sweet Sixteen of the 2026 NCAA Championship after defeating Washington 4-0 on May 3 at the Virginia Tennis Facility at the Boar’s Head Resort. The Cavaliers, seeded seventh, will host a Super Regional match against the winner of the Baton Rouge Regional on Saturday, May 9.
The victory was secured after strong performances in both doubles and singles matches. While Washington claimed an early win in doubles court two, Virginia responded with wins from Vivian Yang and Melodie Collard on court one (6-2), and Isabelle Lacy with Kaitlyn Rolls on court three (6-4), earning them the doubles point.
In singles play, Martina Genis Salas opened with a straight-set victory (6-1, 6-4) on court six. Fifth-year player Melodie Collard followed with a win (6-3, 6-1) on court five. Isabelle Lacy clinched the overall match for Virginia by winning her contest (6-0, 6-4) on court four.
Head coach Sara O’Leary said: “First of all, thank all our fans for coming out yesterday and today. It makes a huge, huge difference. It’s a reward to be able to play at home for finishing ranked in the top eight. This is what we hope for and what we want — for our fans to come out and enjoy the tennis and be out there with us. So first, just want to thank all the fans for coming out.” She continued: “I am just really proud of the toughness and resolve of our team… They weren’t afraid of it. They stepped up to it. I am really proud of them… I think that really set the tone going into singles.” O’Leary concluded: “So excited to get the win today. We’ll enjoy it today and go back to work tomorrow.”
Match notes show that Virginia is currently ranked No.7 nationally by ITA rankings; Collard has improved her spring record to 16 wins against two losses; Lacy now holds a record of thirteen wins against three losses this season.
Virginia will next host its Super Regional matchup as they look ahead toward further advancement in NCAA tournament play.
