ELON, N.C. - The Elon women's tennis team fell to 4-7 on the year after losing its match to East Carolina, 6-1, this afternoon, March 4, at The Jimmy Powell Tennis Center. The Pirates improved to 9-2 on the season with the win.
In doubles play, East Carolina's Manon Bissat and Neena Wanko snapped sophomore Briana Berne and freshman Andrea Pont Grau's three-match winning streak by winning 8-2 at number three. On court one, freshmen Jordan Johnston and Viviana Stavreva fell to Jessica Cook and Audrey LePottier 8-4, clinching the doubles point for the Pirates. Freshman Bryn Khoury and Frida Jansaker played a tight match at number two with Natalie Collins and Petra Vogel. The two pairs went back and forth leading to a tiebreak to decide the match. The Elon duo won easily in the tiebreak, 8-7 (2), giving the Phoenix its only win in doubles play.
Collins and Jansaker faced each other again at number three, but this time it was Collins with the win, 6-4, 6-2, moving the Pirates to a 2-0 advantage over the Phoenix. At number one, Johnston and Cook each won easily over another in sets one and two, but it was Cook that took the third set and earned the victory, 1-6, 6-1, 6-4.
After each winning a set 6-3, Bissat defeated Pont, 3-6, 6-3, 6-0, at number six to clinch the match for ECU. Berne won her first set, 6-1, over Wanko on court five and took an early 3-2 lead in the second set. However, Wanko came back to win the set, 6-4, as well as the third set, 6-1, for the victory. At number four, Stavreva sent her first set with LePottier into a tiebreak but eventual fell 7-6 (2), 6-3.
Elon's lone team point of the day came from Khoury who picked up a win against Vogel at number two. In her first match in the two spot, Khoury went into a third set with the Lady Pirate and came up big taking the win 6-3, 4-6, 6-0. Khoury improved her season singles record to 8-2 with the win.
The Elon women's tennis team will have almost a full week off before playing at Western Carolina next Friday, March 11 in a 2 p.m. match in Cullowhee, N.C.