Princeton 4, College of Charleston 3
MT. PLEASANT, S.C. - College of Charleston women's tennis held an early 2-0 lead over the 28th-ranked Princeton Tigers on Tuesday afternoon at the Tennis Center at Patriots Point. Princeton rallied late in the match to edge the Cougars, 4-3.
The 58th-ranked Cougars (10-8, 4-0 SoCon), who jumped nine sports in the latest Intercollegiate Tennis Association poll that was released today, won the doubles point with victories at the first and third seeds. Senior Holly Dowse and junior Emma Hayman defeated the 19th-ranked pair in the country 8-5 for their fifth consecutive win at the top doubles spot. The duo ranks 76th in the nation on the latest ITA poll.
Seniors Laura Borza and Anna Lee Evans clinched the doubles point with an 8-5 victory over Sarah Hoffman and Melissa Sainontz. The pair is now 4-1 on the year as a team. Junior Kinsey Casey and freshman Irene Viana played a close match at the No. 2 spot before falling 8-5.
The Cougars took a 2-0 lead in the match after Borza earned a 6-2, 6-0 win over Taylor Marable at the No. 4 singles spot. Princeton (10-5, 0-0) answered with wins at the 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 5th seeds. Top-seeded Dowse took the first set 7-5 over No. 81 Hilary Bartlett and was up 5-4, 30-love in the second set before Bartlett mustered a comeback. Bartlett eventually won the second set 7-5 and took the third set, 6-3, for the win.
Hayman also held on for a large portion of her singles match at the No. 2 spot. Tied at one set apiece, Hayman held a 5-4 lead in the third set before Melissa Saiontz answered, earning the 7-5 victory.
Junior Keely Mulligan closed the gap between the two teams with her win as the sixth seed. After dropping the first set, 7-5, she rallied to win the next two sets 6-3, 6-3. The win punctuated a five-hour match, but the Tigers had already escaped with the win.
"Although this was a heartbreaking loss to a top team, I know this will help us prepare for some difficult upcoming Southern Conference matches," said head coach Angelo Anastopaulo. "We had many chances to win the match, but Princeton showed a lot of fight to pull out the victory. With our No. 3 and 4 players out today, it gave some other players a chance to showcase their talents and I was very proud of their performances."
Charleston ends its 11-match homestand tomorrow with a double-header against Massachusetts and Presbyterian College. The matches will begin at 1:30 p.m. and 6 p.m., respectively.
UNC Wilmington 7, Samford 0
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. --- The Samford University women's tennis team had its two-match winning streak snapped Tuesday as the Bulldogs dropped a 7-0 decision against the 70th-ranked North Florida Ospreys at the UNF Tennis Courts.
Prior to Tuesday's loss, Samford (8-5) earned back-to-back victories against Air Force 4-3 and Davidson 6-1. The Bulldogs are in the midst of a three-match, spring break road trip and are 1-3 when playing away from Birmingham, Ala., this season.
North Florida (12-1) was the second nationally-ranked opponent that Samford has faced this season. Earlier this year, the Bulldogs were defeated on the road by 68th-ranked Mississippi State, 5-2.
The Samford University women's tennis team will next be in action Wednesday at 3:00 p.m. as the Bulldogs remain in Jacksonville, Fla., for another non-conference matchup against the Jacksonville Dolphins.