Samford 7, Belmont 0
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. --- The Samford University women's tennis team picked up its first dual-match victory of the 2011 season Friday as the Bulldogs breezed to a 7-0 home win against the Belmont Bruins in a non-conference contest held at the Samford Tennis Center.
Samford (1-0) swept the doubles competition with victories of 8-2, 8-0 and 9-7, and then built on that momentum with six straight-set triumphs in singles play.
The closest match in the singles competition was Madelie Janse Van Rensburg's 6-4, 6-2 victory against Belmont's Abby Leatherwood on court No. 2. All of Friday's contests were played indoors at the Pat M. Courington Tennis Pavilion due to the inclement weather in the Birmingham area.
Also victorious in singles play for the Bulldogs were Andrie Meiring, Kristin Lewis, Rebecca Kirven, Lindsey Mallory and Jessica Diamond.
Belmont (0-3) remained winless on the season Friday after opening the 2011 campaign with back-to-back loss against Middle Tennessee and Chattanooga.
The Samford University women's tennis team will next be in action Feb. 12 at 11 a.m. (CST) as the Bulldogs square off against the Charlotte 49ers on the road in Charlotte, N.C.
Middle Tennessee 5, Chattanooga 2
CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. - The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga women's tennis team dropped a 5-2 match to Middle Tennessee at the Hixson Racquet Club tonight. The Lady Mocs won the doubles point, but could not get going in singles action as they fall to 1-1 on the year.
UTC took the first two doubles match, beginning with an 8-3 win at No. 3 by seniors Annie Green and Grace Robinette. Sophomore Jenna Nurik and junior Shaina Singh secured the 1-0 lead with their 8-4 win at No. 2.
Chattanooga could not keep the momentum as MTSU jumped out to an early lead in singles play. The Blue Raiders grabbed the first set in five of the six singles matches, forcing UTC to play catch-up the rest of the night.
Robinette fell at No. 6 to Taylor Coffey, despite forcing a tiebreak in the second set. MTSU followed that up with wins at No. 2 and No. 4 to take a 3-1 lead.
Chattanooga was still battling in the remaining three matches. Nurik fell behind 3-6 in the first set to Yuri Nomoto at No. 1. She stormed back to take the second frame 6-1, but fell in the third 3-6. That loss gave the Blue Raiders the win.
Junior Charlotte Bossy did manage to snap a four-match losing streak with her win at No. 5. She overcame losing the first set to Alex Dachos to post a 3-6, 6-4, 6-2 win.
The Lady Mocs hit the road next weekend for a trip to Alabama. UTC heads to Tuscaloosa for a 2:00 p.m. contest with the Crimson Tide on Sunday, Feb. 13. Chattanooga is back home on Saturday, Feb. 19, for an 11:00 a.m. match against Coast Carolina at the UTC Tennis Courts.