Georgia Southern 6, USC Upstate 1
SPARTANBURG, S.C. - The Georgia Southern Women's Tennis team (1-0) won its season opener at USC Upstate with a 6-1 win over the Spartans at the USC State Tennis Complex on Sunday, February 6th. The Eagles were rained out of their match against South Carolina State yesterday.
"It was great to start the year off with a victory and I was proud of my seniors for providing their leadership and contributing to the win," said Eagles Head Coach Amy Bonner.
The 2011 season begins the final spring for three Eagle seniors: Ali Beavers, Ashley Hungerford and Melanie Rolle as they make their mark on the program.
The Eagles swept through the doubles, as the number-one doubles team of freshman Paula Garrido and Beavers defeated Talia Rojas and Ana Sofia Camberos, 8-1. The senior tandem of Hungerford and Rolle captured the win at number-two singles with an 8-4 score over Karen Martinez and Catherine Estupinan. Georgia Southern's number-three doubles pair of Beavers and Caitlin Kitchen won by default.
Garrido, Beavers and Hungerford all won in straight sets to secure the win. Garrido downed Martinez 6-1, 6-2 at number-one singles with Beavers dropping Rojas 6-4, 6-1 for the win at the two seed. Hungerford won the first singles point for the Eagles at the number-four seed with a 6-1, 6-0 win over Estupinan.
Elon 7, Meredith 0
ELON, N.C. - The Elon women's tennis team (1-2) earned its first win of the young season today, Feb. 6, after defeating Meredith (0-1), 7-0, at The Jimmy Powell Tennis Center. All six singles matches were won in straight sets by the Phoenix.
In doubles action, freshman Jordan Johnston and sophomore Briana Berne won their first match of the season, 8-1, over Puja Patel and Betty Edwards at the number one position. Freshmen Frida Jansaker and Bryn Khoury continued their strong play with a dominating performance winning, 8-0, against Mollie Musgrave and Mary Lawrence Newton at number two. At the number three spot, freshman Viviana Stavreva and senior Jessica Margolis earned their second straight win of the year defeating Ashley Persall and Christa Key, 8-3. The duo of Stavreva and Margolis remain undefeated on the season.
At number one singles, Jansaker defeated Patel, 6-0, 6-1, to earn her first singles victory this year. Johnston and Khoury both improved to 2-1 after Johnston won, 6-1, 6-0, at number two over Pearsall, while Khoury won 6-0, 6-1, against Newton at number three.
Neither Berne or junior Kaylyn Simalek conceded a point in their singles matches both winning 6-0, 6-0. Berne got the win over Edwards at number four, while Simalek defeated Zannah Webster at the sixth position. Margolis was also victorious at number five, 6-1, 6-0, over Musgrave.
The Phoenix will return to action on Thursday, Feb. 10, for a road match at UNC Wilmington at 1:30 p.m.
NC State 7, College of Charleston 0
RALEIGH, N.C. - The No. 69-ranked College of Charleston women's tennis team dropped a 7-0 decision to No. 42-ranked North Carolina State on Sunday afternoon at the J.W. Isenhour Tennis Center.
The Wolfpack (3-1) swept the doubles point to take an early 1-0 lead in the dual match. The Cougars (0-3), who were playing under faster conditions indoors, won 26 of the 73 games in singles play.
Sophomore Christin Newman fell in straight sets to No. 32-ranked Sanaa Bhambri, 6-0, 6-1, at the No. 1 line, while NC State's Tatiana Illova clinched the match with a 6-3, 6-0 victory over junior Caroline Newman at No. 3.
The Cougars will next host North Florida on Friday, Feb. 25, at the College of Charleston Tennis Center located at Patriots Point in Mt. Pleasant, S.C. First serve is set for 2 p.m. (ET).
Presbyterian 6, Western Carolina 1
CLINTON, S.C. - Western Carolina suffered a 6-1 loss to Presbyterian College Sunday afternoon in the opening match of the 2011 season at Templeton Courts. Carolina Lainez picked up the lone point for the Catamounts in a 7-6, 6-4 win over Presbyterian's Courtney Gardiner.
The Catamount doubles teams struggled during the opening match, although the pair of Ainhoa Diaz and Carolina Lainez picked up an 8-5 victory over the Blue Hose's Cara Caruso and Courtney Gardiner.
The Blue Hose came out of the gate quickly in singles. In the No. 1 match, Paige Oelke topped Karen Sarmiento 7-6, 3-6, 10-4. Aside from Lainez's victory at the No. 3 spot, junior Layne Arnold put up a strong fight in the No. 4 match. Presbyterian's Patricia Alves won the first set 6-0, but Arnold fought back to earn a 5-7 win in the second. Alves then sealed the point with a decisive 6-1 third set victory.
Western Carolina will be back in action on Feb. 19 at home in Cullowhee at the Catamount Athletic Complex as the Catamounts take on the 49ers of Charlotte at 12:00 p.m.