Elon 6, Gardner-Webb 1
ELON, N.C. ? Anna Milian, Paige Kensrue, Elisa Simonetti, Whitney Butcher and Laura Graybill all posted singles victories as Elon ousted Gardner-Webb 6-1 in a nonconference women’s tennis clash Wednesday afternoon at the Jimmy Powell Tennis Center, snapping a three-match losing streak.
The Phoenix (5-6) captured all three doubles bouts to begin the contest with a 1-0 advantage. Simonetti and Daleen Kloppers knocked off Jenny Gomez and Tavenner Black 8-3 at No. 2, Milian and Kensrue outlasted Laura Kriett and Rita Gouveia 9-8 (8-6) at No. 1 and Melissa Wolf and Sally Wilkey outdueled Amy Beavers and Kasey Ellis 9-7 at No. 3.
Milian then extended the Elon edge to 2-0 by turning back Kriett 6-0, 6-2 in 48 minutes at No. 1 singles. Simonetti stopped Amy Beavers 6-3, 6-1 at No. 3 to stretch the Phoenix’s lead to 3-0, before Gouveia staved off Kloppers 7-5, 6-2 at No. 4 for the Runnin’ Bulldogs (3-6). Kensrue (over Gomez 7-6 (7-4), 6-2 at No. 2), Butcher (over Ellis 4-6, 6-3, 6-2 at No. 5) and Graybill (over Black 0-6, 7-6 (7-2), 7-5 at No. 6) claimed the final three wins.
The Phoenix will take the next eight days off from competition before traveling to Samford (March 6) and Chattanooga (March 7) next week for a pair of Southern Conference matches.
Samford 4, UAB 3
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. --- The Samford University women’s tennis team earned up its second home triumph in three matches Wednesday as the Bulldogs defeated the UAB Blazers 4-3 in a cross-town rivalry held at the Samford Tennis Center.
Samford (2-3) won the doubles point and then received singles victories from Jessica Diamond, Andrie Meiring and Stephanie Parkison en route to its hard-fought 4-3 advantage.
Wednesday’s win was the Bulldogs’ second in five days. On Saturday, Samford earned a similar 4-3 victory against North Florida.
With the loss, UAB (2-3) suffered its second-straight defeat. It was also the Blazers’ second setback of the 2009 season held at the Samford Tennis Center. On Feb. 10, UAB played a match on the Bulldogs’ Hardison Courts and dropped a 4-3 decision against Memphis.
Samford’s doubles combinations of Taylor Morgan and Parkison, and Rebecca Kirven and Meiring both earned 8-3 wins against their UAB counterparts Wednesday. By winning two of the three doubles matches, the Bulldogs took a key 1-0 advantage in the contest.
In singles play, Samford’s Meiring defeated UAB’s Giorgia Romeo on court No. 2, 4-6, 6-4, 6-3, while Parkison held off Brittany DeFelice 7-6 (5), 6-2 on court No. 4. The Bulldogs also received a key singles victory from Diamond on court No. 5 as she cruised to a 6-2, 6-4 win against the Blazers’ Jenny Cape.
The Samford University women’s tennis team will next be in action Saturday at 9 a.m., as the Bulldogs begin their Southern Conference season against the Georgia Southern Eagles in Statesboro, Ga.