Furman 4, UNCW 3
GREENVILLE, S.C. -- With the team score tied at three-apiece, freshman Ansley Speaks recorded a 6-3, 7-6 victory over Olga Blank at flight two singles to lead the Furman women’s tennis team past UNC Wilmington, 4-3, Sunday at the Mickel Tennis Center in Greenville, S.C.
The Paladins clinched the doubles point to open the match. Senior Margaret Boyette teamed with freshman Karlee Bryde to blank Kelly Cameron and Hollie Champion, 6-0, at flight three, then the freshman duo of Speaks and Blair Martin posted a 6-4 win versus Angie Sekely and Alyssa Ritchie at flight two to claim the first point. The top flighted match was unfinished.
In singles action, Furman took a 2-0 lead after junior Kelly Sullivan picked up a quick 6-4, 6-2 win over Hamilton Lovett at flight six, but the Seahawks tied the match after scoring victories at flights one and four. Sekely defeated junior Alex Moreno-Kaste, 6-4, 6-1, in the top spot, and Cameron topped Martin, 6-4, 6-1, at number four.
The Paladins regained the lead, 3-2, when Bryde registered a 6-2, 6-4 win against Christine Kharkevich at number five, then Ritchie bested senior Katherine Oudin, 7-5, 6-3 in the three spot to tie the match, setting up the decisive flight two match.
Furman (3-2) will travel to Athens, Ga., on Feb. 21 to face Georgia at 2:30 p.m.
UNCG 6, USC Upstate 1
GREENSBORO, N.C.- The UNCG women’s tennis team earned its first victory of the spring with a 6-1 win against USC Upstate Sunday afternoon at the Piedmont Indoor Tennis Center.
The Spartans earned the doubles point first and a point due to forfeit at No. 6 singles to go up 2-0 early in the match. Kayla Gammie and Devon Sutherland defeated Isabel von Stryk and Talia Rojas 6-3 at No. 1 doubles. At No. 2 doubles, Yasmin Franco and Jamie Grinberg took down Sarah Vande berg and Anna Zoske 6-2 as well.
On the singles side, Gammie wrapped up first after defeating Zoske 6-1, 6-4 at No. 2 singles to give UNCG a 3-0 lead.
USC Upstate earned its only point of the match in a three set thriller at No. 1 singles. Senior Stephanie Falcon took set one 6-4, but Stryk took set two 6-1. Stryk won the super tiebreaker, 10-4, in the third set.
At No. 3 singles, Franco defeated Rojas in straight sets, 6-3, 6-1.Sophomore Amy Ellis played at No. 5 singles and took down Lindsey Buenger 6-0, 6-0.
At No. 4 singles, Grinbeg beat VandeBerg 6-0, 6-1 to earn UNCG’s sixth point of the afternoon.
The Spartans will be back at it Sunday, February 16 when they welcome in UNCW atnoon at the UNCG Tennis Courts.
South Carolina 7, Davidson 0
COLUMBIA, S.C. — Playing its second ranked opponent of the season, the Davidson women’s tennis team fell on the road to No. 33 South Carolina by the score of 7-0 Sunday afternoon at the Carolina Tennis Center.
The Gamecocks (6-1) won their third straight and swept a doubleheader on the day, also defeating Charleston Southern 7-0. Davidson fell to 2-4 on the season.
Davidson and South Carolina had not faced each other since the 2007.
USC opened by winning the doubles point to start the match, taking both the No. 2 and 3 positions, 6-1.
All six singles matches went to South Carolina for the final win. Freshman Sarah Stein had the best showing, scoring fives games in two sets against her opponent. She fell 6-1 in her first set at No. 3 and then dropped a 6-4 decision in the second set.
Fellow first year Jenna Brunner scored three-game wins at No. 4 in the first set, before falling 6-3, and then 6-0 in the second set.
Auburn 4, Samford 0
AUBURN, Ala. -- The Samford University women’s tennis team encountered its first loss of the 2014 dual-match season Sunday as the Bulldogs dropped a 4-0 road decision to the 21st-ranked Auburn Tigers in a nonconference contest held at the City of Auburn/Auburn University Yarbrough Tennis Center.
Samford (2-1) will next be in action Wednesday at 2 p.m. (CST) as the Bulldogs continue their brief two-match road stretch against the Southern Miss Golden Eagles in a Southern Regional contest to be held in Hattiesburg, Miss.
Auburn (4-1) earned a pair of victories Sunday. In their first match of the early-season doubleheader, the Tigers breezed past Georgia Southern, 7-0, before facing Samford in the nightcap.
The Bulldogs hung tough with No. 21-ranked Auburn on a number of courts in both singles and doubles play, but the match was called as soon as the Tigers reached the decisive four-point mark.
Samford’s No. 3 doubles pairing of Yasmeen Ebada and Jessica Northcutt nearly knocked off Auburn’s tandem comprised of Jackie Kasler and Jen Pfeifler, but the Tiger duo rallied back to earn a slight 8-7 win.
In singles play, the Bulldogs’ No. 72-ranked Stephanie N’tcha and Ebada were both leading their Auburn counterparts in the second set of action. The Tigers’ singles wins occurred on courts No. 2, No. 4 and No. 6.
Sunday’s loss proved to be Samford’s first setback of the 2014 campaign. The Bulldogs entered their match against Auburn having cruised past Kennesaw State, 7-0, and Middle Tennessee, 6-1, to open the season.