Davidson 7, Cal State Bakersfield 0
DAVIDSON, N.C. - In the midst of playing five matches in a seven-day span this week, the Davidson women?s tennis team scored its second win of the week by rolling past Cal State Bakersfield, 7-0, on Friday afternoon at the Knobloch Indoor Tennis Center on the campus of Davidson College.
The Wildcats improved to 2-1 during their five-match stretch this week to run their overall mark to 7-8. The win was also the OCats sixth of the season at home as they sit at 6-2. CSUB fell to 3-11 on the year.
Davidson easily took the doubles point as it scored 8-1 victories at all three spots to open the match. For the second match in a row the teams of Virginia Berry and Michele Fanney along with Ali Gores and Molly McDevitt each scored wins at their respective positions of No. 1 and 3.
Those four along with Alison Rauh and Samantha Galainena then dominated in singles play to help secure the 7-0 shutout win. No Wildcat allowed more than two games in any of their sets.
Fanney and Berry gave up only a combined three games in taking straight set wins at the No. 1 and 2 spots. Fanney earned a 6-2, 6-0 win over Veronica Dimas and Berry was a 6-0, 6-1 winner over Kirstie Jenkins at No. 2. Berry sits at a team-best 10-5 on the year in dual singles matches and has won seven of her last nine overall.
Gores pushed her win streak in singles play to two straight with a 6-2, 6-1 at No. 4. The junior sits at 6-8 on the year in dual singles matches. Gores has picked up wins in three of her past three matches, including two against conference foes.
Following Gores was McDevitt with a 6-2, 6-2 triumph over Ashlee Thorneycroft to give her six singles wins on the year. Also tallying their sixth wins of the season in singles action was Galainena and Rauh as they each took 6-0, 6-0 and 6-1, 6-1 victories at No. 6 and 3, respectively.
The busy week continues for the Wildcats as they now travel to Chattanooga and Samford for two Southern Conference matches on Saturday and Sunday, Mar. 28th and 29th. The Cats play the Mocs at 12 p.m. and then the Bulldogs on Sunday at 11 a.m.
Brown 5, Furman 2
GREENVILLE, S.C. ? The Furman women’s tennis team saw its five-match winning streak come to an end as the visiting Brown University Bears defeated the Lady Paladins, 5-2, on Friday afternoon at Mickel Tennis Center. The match was forced indoors due to inclement weather. Furman dropped to 8-7 overall while Brown improved to 14-2 on the season.
Brown took the upper hand early in the match, winning all three doubles matches to earn the team point. Furman’s Susan Bitetti and Jessica Preeg had their six-match winning streak snapped, falling 8-5 to Brown’s Emily Ellis and Kathrin Sorokko. Lady Paladin duo Laura Gioia and Monica Arguello were looking for a sixth straight win, but fell 8-6 in a tight battle against Bianca Aboubakare and Cassandra Herzberg.
In singles action, Gioia pulled out a 6-4, 6-7 (4), 7-5 victory against Bianca Aboubakare. The senior improved to 10-4 on the season, winning her fourth consecutive match at the top position. Senior Lauren Tomory won her ninth straight match, battling back from a set down to force a third set and then earning the win when Cassandra Herzberg was forced to retire.
Furman will look to defend its undefeated Southern Conference record when it hosts league foe Georgia Southern on Sunday afternoon at noon.