Elon 7, Western Carolina 0
ELON, N.C. - The Elon University women's tennis team captured its first Southern Conference win of the season on Saturday, March 10, after blanking the Western Carolina Catamounts 7-0 at The Jimmy Powell Tennis Center.
Elon improves to 10-4 overall and 1-1 in league play with the win, while WCU falls to 1-7 (0-2 SoCon).
The Phoenix swept all three doubles matches in impressive fashion to take a 1-0 lead over the Catamounts. Following a pair of 8-0 victories at No. 2 and 3 doubles, Jordan Johnston and Frida Jansaker secured the sweep after handing WCU's Ainhoa Iglesias Diaz and Megan McLinden an 8-1 setback.
Briana Berne gave the maroon and gold a 2-0 advantage at No. 6 singles after posting a dominant 6-0, 6-0 win over Western Carolina's Taylor Casey.
Jansaker and Maria Camara Ruiz clinched the match victory for the Phoenix after claiming a pair of 6-0, 6-0 wins over Katie Barry and Sarah Walters.
Viviana Stavreva gave Elon a 5-0 lead at No. 3 singles after recording a 6-2, 6-1 win over the Catamounts' Ainhoa Iglesias Diaz.
Playing at No. 2 singles for the third straight match due to Bryn Khoury's injury, Barbora Lazarova gave the Phoenix a 6-0 lead after topping WCU's Karen Jimenez, 6-0, 6-2.
Johnston put the finishing touches on the Elon win, topping Western Carolina's Megan McLinden, 6-4, 6-1.
Samford 5, Georgia Southern 2
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. --- The Samford University women's tennis team earned a 5-2 Southern Conference victory against the Georgia Southern Eagles Saturday in a key conference showdown held at the Samford Tennis Center.
With the win, Samford (9-2, 1-1 SoCon) improved its record at home this season to 9-1. The Bulldogs opened their 2012 campaign with eight-consecutive victories at the Samford Tennis Center. Samford's lone loss at home this season occurred Thursday against College of Charleston.
Georgia Southern (4-6, 0-1 SoCon) suffered its second-straight defeat Saturday. On Tuesday, the Eagles were topped in non-conference play by Campbell.
In Saturday's SoCon contest, Samford took an early 1-0 lead in the match by winning the doubles point. On court No. 3, the Bulldogs' combination of Stephanie N'tcha and Adri Lochner breezed to an 8-0 victory, while Samford's No. 1 singles pairing of Kristin Lewis and Lindsey Mallory defeated Georgia Southern's duo comprised of Natalie Maffett and Alexis Prickett, 8-3.
With their doubles-clinching victory, the Bulldogs' Lewis and Lindsey Mallory improved their team-best record on the season to 10-1.
Samford's doubles team of true freshman, Lochner and N'tcha, registered their fourth-straight victory Saturday and moved to 6-2 when competing on court No. 3.
After winning the doubles point, the Bulldogs quickly increased their decisive lead to 5-0 with straight-set singles victories from Madelie Janse Van Rensburg, N'tcha, Rebecca Kirven and Jessica Diamond.
Rensburg, Samford's senior native of Franschhoek, South Africa, improved to 9-1 this season when playing on court No. 2. N'tcha then tallied a 6-1, 6-0 triumph on court No. 3, while Kirven defeated the Eagles' Allison Beeler, 6-2, 6-0, in the No. 4 singles contest.
On court No. 5, the Bulldogs' Diamond cruised to a 6-1, 6-1 victory over Georgia Southern's Cameron Williams. With the victory, she improved her singles record on the season to 1-1.
Appalachian State 4, North Carolina Central 3
DURHAM, N.C. - Appalachian State University women's tennis picked up its fourth-straight by defeating North Carolina Central, 4-3, at NCCU Courts on Saturday. The Mountaineers (7-3, 1-0 SoCon) have won their last four matches and five of their last six, while the loss snaps a five-match winning streak for the Lady Eagles (6-4, 1-0 MEAC).
Appalachian State began the day by sweeping all three doubles matches. ASU's top duo of juniors Ellie Linsell and Jennifer Ansari posted an 8-6 win at No. 1 doubles, while No. 2 seniors Gisela Fernandez and Gabriela Celi won their match by an identical score.
Senior Blakeley Bean and sophomore Jessica Thaggard completed the ASU trifecta with an 8-6 win at No. 3 doubles, giving the Mountaineers the doubles point.
In singles action, North Carolina Central got on the scoreboard with wins at the top three positions, coming within one match point of taking the match.
The Mountaineers' deep lineup proved vital, as Thaggard, playing at No. 4, picked up a 6-4, 6-3 win to keep the Apps alive.
Appalachian's No. 5, Kim-Lea Dinh, crushed her Lady Eagle opponent, shutting out both sets, 6-0, 6-0.
In the final singles spot, freshman Gabby Gabriel squashed her foe, following suit with another 6-0, 6-0 win.
The Mountaineers continue their road trip with a visit to defending Southern Conference Champion, College of Charleston, on Sunday at 10 a.m.
Furman 4, Loyola Marymount 3
LOS ANGELES, Calif. - Down 3-0, the Furman women's tennis team rallied back to defeat Loyola Marymount, 4-3, Saturday at the LMU Tennis Center in Los Angeles, Calif.
The Lions came out strong, winning two out of three doubles matches to clinch the doubles point. Ashley Anderson and Tory Parravi combined for an 8-2 win over sophomores Margaret Boyette and Katherine Oudin at number two, and April Bisharat and Claudia Razzeto defeated junior Michele Stanford and sophomore Amanda Murray, 8-5, at number three. Furman junior Lauren Kline and freshman Alex Moreno-Kaste beat Elisaveta Pironkova and Reka Rohonyi, 8-4, in the top doubles match-up.
In singles action, Parravi defeated Boyette, 6-2, 6-2, at number three, then Bisharat notched a 7-5, 6-3 victory over Kline at number one to give Loyola Marymount a 3-0 advantage, before a 6-1, 6-3 fourth-seed win by Oudin over Miya Jin put the Paladins on the board.
Moreno-Kaste came from behind for a 2-6, 6-1, 6-4 victory over Anderson at number five to cut the deficit to 3-2, and Stanford tied the match with a 6-1, 3-6, 6-4 triumph over Razzeto in the second singles contest, setting up a show-down at number six singles. Murray dropped the first set to Rohonyi, 7-6, then posted a 7-5 victory in the second set, pushing the match to a decisive third set. Murray rallied, taking the set 6-4 for the Paladin team victory.
"The team did a great job of making game-style adjustments after the doubles point," said Furman head coach Debbie Southern following the victory. "We fought with the determination of a very hungry team! Alex and Amanda turned their matches to give us a chance to win, and Katherine and Michele stepped up for important victories."
Furman (4-7) returns home to play host to East Carolina Saturday at 10 a.m.
Charleston Southern 4, UNCG 3
CHARLESTON, S.C. - UNCG's women's tennis team won the doubles point but saw Charleston Southern take four singles wins to rally for the 4-3 win at the Buccaneer Tennis Center on Saturday.
The Spartans (5-4) got off on the right foot with wins at Nos. 2 and 3 doubles. Devon Sutherland and Alex Whitehead clinched the point at No. 2, taking a 9-8 (7-3) win over Yvonne Hubler and Alexandra Walters. Kayla Gammie and Annette Rios downed Alia Nour and Angelica Sidorenko at No. 3, 8-6.
At No. 1, CSU's Marija Dzakovic and Olga Makhova snapped Lucy Dougherty and Niltooli Wilkins' six-match winning streak with an 8-5 win.
Hubler pulled the Buccaneers (5-1) even with a 6-1, 6-1 win over Whitehead at No. 3 singles, and Walters put CSU on top with 6-1, 6-2 win over Dougherty at No. 5.
UNCG's Wilkins made it 2-all with her 6-4, 7-5 win over Makhova at No. 1, but Dzakovic reclaimed the lead for the Bucs with a 6-4, 7-6 (7-3) triumph over Rios at No. 4.
Nour, a freshman, clinched the match for Charleston Southern at No. 6, rebounding from a first-set loss to take a 3-6, 6-3, 6-3 win over classmate Stephanie Falcon.
Dilara Yurtkuran earned a 6-3, 4-6, 6-4 win over Sidorenko at No. 2 as UNCG took victories at the top two flights.
UNCG returns to action March 17 at Samford when it opens Southern Conference play.