Samford 7, Wofford 0
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. --- The Samford University women's tennis team completed its weekend sweep of Southern Conference opponents Sunday with a resounding 7-0 triumph against the Wofford Terriers at the Samford Tennis Center.
With the lopsided victory, Samford (11-5, 3-1 SoCon) extended its winning streak to three-consecutive matches and improved its record at home this season to 9-2. On Saturday, the Bulldogs opened their weekend sweep with a 6-1 win against Furman. The victory snapped Furman's 100-match SoCon regular-season winning streak which was started 12 years ago on March 27, 1998.
Wofford (1-15, 0-5 SoCon) lost its 10th straight match Sunday and fell to 1-8 on the road this season. The Terriers' lone victory of the 2010 campaign was a 4-3 road win against Presbyterian on Feb. 22.
In Sunday's triumph, Samford swept the doubles competition and then breezed to straight-set wins in all six singles matches. Sophomore Rebecca Kirven improved her team-leading singles record to 12-3 with a 6-3, 6-1 victory on court No. 5, while Lindsey Mallory picked up her 10th win of the dual season by knocking off Lindsay Larkin 6-1, 6-0 in the No. 6 contest. Mallory improved her record on the year to 10-5.
Furman 7, Chattanooga 0
CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. - The Chattanooga women's tennis team dropped a 7-0 decision to Furman Sunday at the Manker Patten Tennis Club. The loss dropped the Lady Mocs to 6-10 overall and 2-4 in the Southern Conference. Furman improved to 10-6 and 3-1 with the win.
In doubles competition, the Lady Mocs fell behind early and were unable to recover. Despite mounting slight comebacks at No. 1 and No. 2, UTC fell at both spots and Furman earned the first point of the match.
Annie Green and Beata Knizat won at No. 3 for the fifth straight match, and improved to 6-0 this spring by taking the match 8-6. Jenna Nurik and Shaina Singh saw their streak of seven straight doubles victories come to an end, falling to Jennifer Betts and Jessica Preeg 8-4. Charlotte Bossy and Emily Hangstefer lost at No. 1, 8-3, to Monica Arguello and Lauren Kline.
More streaks came to an end in singles play. Nurik lost for the first time in seven matches at No. 1, falling to Monica Arguello, 6-1, 6-2. Bossy's four-match winning streak ended when she was defeated by Susan Bitetti, 6-1, 6-0.
The Lady Mocs did not win a set during the match, although Singh nearly took the first set against Lauren Kline, before falling 6-4, 6-1.
Georgia Southern 4, Appalachian State 3
BOONE, N.C. - Playing indoors to escape rain showers, junior Ashley Hungerford defeated Blakeley Bean in three-sets to hand Appalachian State a 4-3 loss Sunday morning (March 28). The teams agreed to play singles first and the Eagles secured the match decision before doubles play even commenced with four victories. GSU improved to 9-7 overall and 4-3 against Southern Conference opponents with the win, while ASU dropped to 7-8, 1-4.
With only three matches playing simultaneously, MelanieRolle and Natalie Maffett put the Eagles on top, 2-1, to open play. Ali Beavers finished first, giving ASU the early advantage after falling in straight 6-3 sets to Ellie Linsell, but Rolle would quickly even match play with a 6-4, 6-1 victory over Jennifer Ansari at No. 2. Maffett pushed GS in the lead, 2-1, edging Olivia Stannard,7-5, 6-1.
Clinging to a one point lead, Georgia Southern found the match knotted at 2-all after Carolina Mauch took a victory over senior Kristi Kegerreis, 7-5, 6-2 at No. 4. But the Eagles would pull out two wins at Nos. 5 and 6 to secure the conference win before doubles competition.
Senior Jessica Fuller crushed Gisela Fernandez dropping only three games, 6-3, 6-0, at the six seed making the match score, 3-2, Georgia Southern. Hungerford clinched the match at No. 5 winning a hard fought three-set battle.
The junior won the first set, 6-2, but suffered a second set loss, 6-4, forcing a deciding third set. The conference opponents pulled a 6-6 third set into a tiebreak in which Hungerford fought off several match points to outlast Bean 9-7 in the tiebreak for the win. Hungerford's three-set win set the score, 4-2, Georgia Southern.
Appalachian State picked up the doubles point wining two of three matches for the 4-3 final decision. The Mountaineers took wins at the one and three seeds, while Beavers and Allison Beeler won at No.2, 8-7 (5).