Elon 4, Georgia Southern 3
STATESBORO, Ga. - After failing to win the doubles point, the Elon women's tennis team won four singles matches to claim a 4-3 win at Georgia Southern today, March 21, at the Hanner Tennis Complex. The third-straight Southern Conference win improves the Phoenix to 7-7 on the year and to a winning 3-2 record in conference play. The Eagles fall to an 8-6 season record (2-3 SoCon) with the loss.
In doubles play, Viviana Stavreva and Andrea Pont Grau fell 8-5 to GSU's Natalie Maffett and Melanie Rolle at number three. Frida Jansaker and Bryn Khoury played at number one for the first time of the season, but lost 8-2 to Paola Garrido and Caitlin Kitchen who clinched the doubles point for the Eagles. Briana Berne and Jordan Johnston were victorious at number two doubles against Ali Beavers and Ashley Hungerford, 8-7 (5). However, Elon found itself with some ground to make up already down 1-0 to GSU heading into singles action.
Stavreva tied the match for the Phoenix with a strong victory at number four defeating Maffett 6-2, 6-3. Georgia Southern's Alessandra Dzuba recorded a win over Pont, 6-2, 6-2, at number six to retain the lead for the Eagles.
After Jansaker picked up a win, 6-2, 6-4, at number three over Rolle, Berne gave the Phoenix its first lead of the day, 3-2, with a great three-set win against Hungerford at number five, 6-4, 1-6, 6-4.
Johnston clinched the match for Elon on court one with another three-set victory for the Phoenix. The freshman claimed the win over Garrido, 7-5, 3-6, 6-1, to improve her season record to 10-3. Khoury and Beavers split the first two sets at number two but Beavers managed to walk away with the 6-3, 4-6, 6-3 victory.
College of Charleston 7, Clemson 0
MT. PLEASANT, S.C. - The College of Charleston women's tennis team dropped a tough 7-0 decision to No. 15 Clemson on Monday afternoon at the College of Charleston Tennis Center at Patriots Point.
It marked the Cougars' (7-7) second consecutive non-conference dual match against a nationally-ranked opponent after falling by the same tally to No. 33 South Carolina on Sunday. They are two matches away from closing out an extensive eight-match homestand in the course of 11 days in preparation of defending their 2010 Southern Conference regular-season title a year ago.
The Tigers (13-5), who reached the NCAA Round of 16 in 2010, swept all of the singles and doubles matches, but not without a fight from senior Emma Hayman and junior Caroline Newman, who forced their singles matches into a third-set super tiebreaker at the top two lines for CofC.
Hayman and Newman both won their first sets by a count of 6-2, but lost close second sets, 7-5, to No. 12-ranked and two-time ITA All-American Josipa Bek and No. 113-ranked Nelly Ciolkowski at No. 1 and No. 2 singles respectively. Bek would go on to win the tiebreak, 10-2, and Ciolkowski, 10-3.
"We continue to improve and are knocking on the door against some of the top players in the country," CofC Director of Tennis Angelo Anastopoulo said. "Emma (Hayman) went the distance against the No. 12-ranked player in the country, but Josipa (Bek) proved too tough in the end. Caroline (Newman) played her best match all year and is starting to gain some confidence in her game. I'm so proud of them for getting so close today."
The Cougars will next host Cornell (7-3) out of the Ivy League for its fifth-straight matchup in five days on Tuesday, March 22, at 2:30 p.m. (ET).