WEXFORD, Pa. — West Virginia Wesleyan's NCAA postseason run came to a close in the opening round of the Atlantic 1 Regional as the Bobcats fell 4-1 to Fairmont State on Friday at the Oxford Athletic Club.
 
Fairmont State grabbed the early advantage by claiming the doubles point. The Falcons picked up wins at No. 2 and No. 3 doubles, where Wesleyan's tandems of Andrea Garrido and Emilie Bergmann, and Sneha Sundaraneedi and Yuko Sakurai each dropped 6-1 decisions. The Bobcats nearly salvaged the final doubles court at No. 1, where Dominique van Vuuren and Renata Pozzobon pushed Lara Smith and Hope Backx before falling 7-5.
 
Trailing 1-0 entering singles play, Wesleyan answered with one of the strongest individual performances of the match from Pozzobon at No. 3 singles. She controlled her matchup against Stephanie Gopar, winning 6-1, 6-4 to secure the Bobcats' lone team point and briefly keep Wesleyan within striking distance.
 
Fairmont State, however, built on its doubles momentum with straight-set singles victories on three courts. Maria Fonseca defeated van Vuuren 6-3, 6-3 at No. 1 singles, while Backx held off Daria Godlewska 6-2, 7-5 at No. 2. The clinching point came at No. 6 singles, where Alara Akgul topped Bergmann 7-5, 6-2.
 
The Bobcats were still battling on two unfinished courts when the match was decided. At No. 4 singles, Sakurai had rallied after dropping the first set to Lara Smith, taking the second set 6-2 and leading 3-0 in the third. At No. 5 singles, Sundaraneedi had also put Wesleyan in position, winning the opening set 7-5 and holding a 3-2 lead in the second before play was halted.
 
Pozzobon's singles win highlighted the day for Wesleyan, while the unfinished efforts from Sakurai and Sundaraneedi underscored the Bobcats' competitiveness throughout the regional matchup. Fairmont State advanced with the 4-1 victory, ending Wesleyan's NCAA Atlantic Regional appearance.
 
 
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