Western Carolina 4, Davidson 3
DAVIDSON, N.C. - In a match that came down to the No. 3 singles spot, Western Carolina's Ainhoa Iglesias earned a three-set win over Samantha Galainena to send the Catamounts to the 4-3 win over Davidson on Sunday afternoon in Southern Conference women's tennis action.
Davidson (4-10, 0-2 SoCon) dropped its fourth straight, and for the first time in the all-time series, fell to the Catamounts. The Wildcats had owned a 23-0 record since 1978 vs. WCU (2-6, 1-3 SoCon) and entered play on Sunday winning the last eight matches by the count of 7-0.
The Wildcats started the match by earning the doubles point when WCU had to forfeit the No. 3 spot and the team of Alison Rauh and Brites Moniz-Soares sealed the doubles point with an 8-6 triumph at No. 2. It was the pairs second win in a row over the weekend.
Then before the start of singles play, Davidson earned another free team point when Western Carolina had to forfeit the No. 6 singles spot. But, the Catamounts came back to take wins at No. 1 and 4 in straight sets to tie things up at 2-all.
Freshman Elise Held gave the Wildcats its third and final point with a strong 6-0, 6-1 win at No. 5. It was the first-year player's first career collegiate singles win.
Fellow freshman Nisha Crouser tried to finish the win off, but dropped a 6-3, 7-5 decision to the Catamounts' Carolina Lainez at No. 2, setting up the final match between Iglesias and Galainena.
The duo split their first two sets, with Galainena cruising to a 6-1 first-set win, but then dropped a 6-2 second-set decision. In the final and deciding set, Iglesias blanked Galainena 6-0 to score the game-winning point.
Georgia Southern 7, Appalachian State 0
BOONE, N.C.- Appalachian State University women's tennis fell in its home opener and first Southern Conference match of the season to Georgia Southern Sunday afternoon, as the Apps lost 7-0. With the loss the Black and Gold drop to 6-4 on the season and 0-1 in SoCon action, while GSU improves to 6-5 overall and 2-2 in league play.
The Apps posted a solid effort in doubles play, but Furman pushed past ASU by winning two-of-three matches.
The duo of Ellie Linsell and Jessica Thaggard lost to Paola Garrido and Caitlin Kitchen at the number one spot, falling 8-5, while the team of Blakeley Bean and Gisela Fernandez easily defeated their opponents at the number two position, 8-2. At the number three spot, Jennifer Ansari and Kim-Lea Dinh were defeated 8-1.
Things did not get much easier for the Apps in singles play as Furman won all singles matches as well.
Linsell was defeated by Garrido at the number one spot, and Ansari also fell in two straight sets at the number two position to Ali Beavers.
Bean could not keep pace with Melanie Rolle at the number three position, losing 6-4, 6-2 while Thaggard dropped a tough decision to Natalie Maffett at the four spot, also falling in two sets.
Fernandez and Cash also lost in two sets at the No. 5 and 6 spots to Ashley Hungerford and Alessandra Dzuba.
College of Charleston 7, Jacksonville State 0
MT. PLEASANT, S.C. - The College of Charleston women's tennis team swept singles and doubles play to hand Jacksonville State a 7-0 rout in the first of two doubleheader matches held Sunday afternoon at the College of Charleston Tennis Center at Patriots Point.
The Cougars (4-5) got off to a strong start allowing only eight games to the Gamecocks (4-7) to win the doubles point for the fifth time this spring. The sister tandem of junior Caroline Newman and sophomore Christin Newman improved to an unbeaten 5-0 on the season with an 8-3 victory over Jacksonville State's Raisa Guasti and Ralphaela Lima at No. 2 doubles.
Senior Keely Mulligan and sophomore Irene Viana as well as senior Kinsey Casey and junior Katie Lee combined at the No. 1 and No. 3 lines respectively to complete the doubles sweep with 8-4 and 8-1 victories.
Lee and Christin Newman quickly dispatched their JSU opponents in straight sets at No. 5 and No. 1 singles with Mulligan clinching the dual match with a 6-2, 6-3 decision over Ralphaela Lima at No. 4.
The Cougars will next battle for bragging rights to the annual city title against intercity rival Charleston Southern today at 4 p.m. (ET) at Patriots Point.
UNLV 5, Furman 2
LAS VEGAS, Nev. - The Furman women's tennis team concluded a four-match road swing Sunday afternoon with a 5-2 loss at #43 UNLV at the Fertitta Tennis Complex in Las Vegas, Nev. The Paladins picked up singles wins from freshmen Margaret Boyette and Amanda Murray.
Boyette defeated Nives Pavlovic, 7-6, 6-2, at number three singles, while Murray posted a 6-1, 6-3 win over Adrienn Hidvegi in the fourth singles match.
The Rebels notched four singles wins, with #77 Lucia Batta defeating #63 Monica Arguello, 6-2, 6-2, in the top singles match, and Aleksandra Josifoska beating sophomore Lauren Kline, 7-6, 2-0, at number two singles. Jana Albers recorded a 6-2, 6-2 win over sophomore Michele Stanford at number five singles, and Anna Maskaljun beat sophomore Jenny Porter, 6-0, 6-0, in the sixth singles competition.
UNLV swept the doubles matches to take the doubles point, with Josifoska and Pavlovic teaming up for an 8-3 win over Boyette and Murray at number one doubles. Batta and Maskaljun tallied an 8-2 win over Kline and Stanford in the second doubles match, and Albers combined with Hidvegi to defeat senior Jennifer Betts and Arguello, 9-8, in the final doubles match.
Furman (4-7, 1-0 SoCon) will return home to face VCU on Saturday, March 19, at 11 a.m.
College of Charleston 5, Charleston Southern 2
MT. PLEASANT, S.C. - The College of Charleston women's tennis team won its second-straight city title with a 5-2 victory over intercity rival Charleston Southern on Sunday night at the College of Charleston Tennis Center at Patriots Point.
The Cougars (5-5) are currently on a two-match winning streak and battled the defending Big South Conference champion Buccaneers (2-4) for the doubles point with all three matches decided by a count of 8-5 in CofC's favor. Senior Emma Hayman and sophomore Irene Viana defeated CSU's top tandem of Olga Makova and Marija Dzakovic to clinch the decisive point heading into singles play.
There, CofC won four of six matches as Hayman and junior Katie Lee increased the Cougars' lead to 3-0 with a pair of straight-set victories at No. 2 and No. 6 singles. Junior Caroline Newman, who improved to an undefeated 6-0 in doubles with her sister Christin Newman, sealed the match victory with a 6-2, 6-1 decision over CSU's Dzakovic at the No. 3 line.
"We really showed some improvement and fought incredibly hard against two talented teams today," said CofC Director of Tennis Angelo Anastopoulo whose team shut out Jacksonville State, 7-0, in the early portion of Sunday's doubleheader. "It is a successful day, when you can defeat two defending regular-season champions. Caroline Newman had a breakthrough day and Emma Hayman was as focused as she has been this season. I was also proud of Katie Lee's maturity while playing sick. We will have a few days to recover and prepare for our upcoming six matches in six days. It will be a great challenge for us."
The Cougars continue their eight-match homestand with No. 54 Wisconsin on Friday, March 18 at Patriots Point.