SUMTER. SC – The UVA Wise women's tennis ended their season with a 4-0 loss to #15 Lenoir-Rhyne in the South Atlantic Conference Championship Quarterfinals Thursday afternoon.
The match marked the first appearance by the Highland Cavaliers in the tournament in program history, and was the final match for
Lucy Cunliffe,
Constanca Azinhaga, and
Kenzy Abdelaal.
Lenoir-Rhyne took the doubles point with a pair of 6-4 wins at flights 1 and 2. Abdelaal and
Melissa Lino Airoldi fell at #1 while
Andreea Onitoiu and Azinhaga lost at #2. Cunliffe and
Juliana Bastidas Tamayo were trailing 5-4 when the Bears clinched the point and their flight was abandoned.
In singles, Abdelaal fell at #1, Azinhaga was defeated at #3, and Lino Airoldi lost at #6. Onitoiu took the first set at #2 and was trailing 6-5 in the second when her flight was stopped.
Bastidas Tamayo had won the first set at #4 but had not started the second set when her flight was abandoned. Cunliffe fell in the first set but was leading the second set 3-2 when her match at #5 was halted.
The team completes their season with a 12-11 overall record and a 5-6 record in SAC play. Some highlights of the season include defeating Tusculum for the first time since 1998, and defeating Carson-Newman for the first time in school history. The 12 wins are the most since the 2006-07 season, and the five conference wins are the most since that season.
Coach
Alex Hunt will now turn his attention to the recruiting trail with the goal of building on this year's success.
The team will return to the courts in the Fall.
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Tennis Match Results
UVA Wise vs Lenoir-Rhyne
4/16/2026 at Sumter, SC
(Palmetto Tennis Center)
#15 Lenoir-Rhyne 4, UVA Wise 0
Singles competition
1. Runa Muderrisoglu (L-R) def.
Kenzy Abdelaal (WISE) 6-2, 6-1
2. Claudia Orsini (L-R) vs.
Andreea Onitoiu (WISE) 0-6, 6-5, unfinished
3. Nellie Wahlberg (L-R) def.
Constanca Azinhaga (WISE) 6-1, 6-2
4. Sandra Mahbouli (L-R) vs. Juliana Bastidas (WISE) 5-6, unfinished
5. Mehetia Boosie (L-R) vs.
Lucy Cunliffe (WISE) 6-4, 2-3, unfinished
6. Disha Khandoji (L-R) def.
Melissa Lino Airoldi (WISE) 6-0, 6-1
Doubles competition
1. Claudia Orsini/Sandra Mahbouli (L-R) def.
Kenzy Abdelaal/
Melissa Lino Airoldi (WISE) 6-4
2. Runa Muderrisoglu/Mehetia Boosie (L-R) def.
Andreea Onitoiu/
Constanca Azinhaga (WISE) 6-4
3. Alexa Allison/Nellie Wahlberg (L-R) vs.
Lucy Cunliffe/Juliana Bastidas (WISE) 5-4, unfinished
Match Notes:
UVA Wise 12-11
Lenoir-Rhyne 14-2; National ranking #15
