Furman 4, Miami (Ohio) 3
LOUISVILLE, KY. - With the teams deadlocked at three-apiece, sophomore Margaret Boyette defeated Christine Guerrazzi, 7-6(9-7), 2-6, 6-3, at number four singles to lead the Furman women's tennis team to a 4-3 win over Miami (OH) Friday afternoon at the Bass-Rudd Tennis Center in Louisville, Ky.
The Paladins jumped out to an early doubles lead as junior Lauren Kline and freshman Alex Moreno-Kaste defeated Stephanie Danesis and Jessica Parr, 8-2, in the top match. The RedHawks tied the doubles with Riekie Honiball and Nimisha Mohan's 8-5 victory over Boyette and sophomore Katherine Oudin in the number two match-up. Furman junior Michele Stanford and sophomore Amanda Murray came through in the deciding set, posting an 8-6 win over Christiana Raymond and Guerrzazzi at number three to secure the doubles point.
Kline notched a quick 6-2, 6-1 win over Mohan at number one singles to give the Paladins a 2-0 lead, before Katherine Castro put Miami on the board with a 6-1, 6-3 victory over freshman Kelsey Kinderknecht in the sixth singles match. Stanford responded at number three singles, defeating Raymond, 6-2, 6-1, to place Furman seemingly in control, 3-1.
The RedHawks (2-4) answered, as Riekie Honiball beat Oudin, 6-3, 6-4, at number two singles, and Alix Thurman triumphed over Moreno-Kaste, 6-4, 2-6, 6-4, at number five singles to set up the decisive match in the fourth singles spot.
"I was very proud of how we closed out the doubles point," said Furman head coach Debbie Southern following the win. "Our team really fought hard to have the opportunity to win today. We executed well, and it paid off."
Furman (2-3) continues the road swing Saturday, facing Louisville at noon.
Appalachian State 7, Presbyterian 0
BOONE, N.C. - Appalachian State University's women's tennis earned its second home sweep as the Mountaineers topped Presbyterian, 7-0, at Yonahlossee Racquet Club on Friday.
Doubles pair Blakeley Bean and Gabby Gabriel got off to the Apps' hottest start, winning eight of nine games for an 8-1 victory at No. 3 doubles.
Mountaineers Gabriela Celi and Gisela Fernandez clinched the doubles point with an 8-2 win in the No. 2 spot, and upperclassmen Ellie Linsell and Jennifer Ansari completed the doubles sweep with an 8-4 triumph in the top slot.
Ansari continued to roll in singles, cruising to a 6-1, 6-0 win at No. 2. Minutes later, her pairs partner Linsell took a 6-4, 6-1 win at No. 1 to give the Apps a 3-0 lead.
Celi trailed 4-5 in her first set at No. 3 but won three straight games to take the set, 7-5. She carried that momentum into the second and won 6-2 to clinch the match victory for Appalachian.
In the bottom half, Kim-Lea Dinh was last to step on the court but finished fourth among singles, coasting to a 6-0, 6-1 win at No. 6.
Gabriel was up 4-1 in her first set but faltered, yielding the only set of the day to Presbyterian, 4-6. The freshman regained her composure and earned a 6-2 win in the second set. In the super-tiebreak, she had no trouble and captured a 10-4 win to seal the match.
Sophomore Jessica Thaggard closed out the action at No. 4 singles, and despite a narrow 7-6 (7-4) win in the first set, she comfortably closed out the second, 6-2, to complete the Appalachian State shutout.
The Mountaineers head to Blacksburg, Va. on Sat., Feb. 18 for their next match, a neutral-site showdown against Radford on the campus of Virginia Tech at 1:30 p.m.