Furman 4, Elon 3
ELON, N.C. – The Elon University women's tennis team suffered its first loss in Southern Conference play today, March 21, in a 4-3 defeat against the Furman Paladins at the Jimmy Powell Tennis Center.
Furman clinched the victory with a 6-1, 7-6 (7-1) victory from Kelly Sullivan on court No. 5 where the junior topped Taylor Casey. Casey's performance was indicative of the afternoon in which Elon as a whole had to battle from behind on most every court.
Both Jordan Johnston and Maria Camara Ruiz, who picked up two of Elon's singles wins, had to come from behind after dropping first sets on court Nos. 1 and 6, respectively. Johnston dropped her first set in a tiebreaker to Ansley Speaks before sweeping the second set and forcing a third set in which she won 6-2. Camara Ruiz had a tough go of things in the first set against Blair Martin, but the junior rebounded for a second set victory in a tiebreaker, then ultimately took Elon's third and final point in winning the super tiebreaker, 10-4.
Both Barbora Lazarova and Bryn Khoury struggled to gain any consistency in their matches on court Nos. 3 and 4, respectively. Lazarova dropped a 6-3, 6-4 match to Katherine Oudin, the twin sister of professional tennis player Melanie Oudin, and Khoury fell 6-2, 6-3 to Karlee Bryde.
The only Elon player not to struggle against the Paldins was Frida Jansaker, who finished off her 6-1, 6-2 victory on court No. 2 in just over an hour against Alex Moreno-Kaste to help Elon tie the match at one after the Phoenix dropped the tightly-contested doubles point.
In the doubles matches, Casey and Khoury quickly won 8-2 on court No. 3 to get Elon halfway to earning the point. Then, Johnston and Lazarova dropped a tough match on court No. 1 to even things up, putting the pressure on Jansaker and Camara Ruiz on court No. 2.
Though battling with Martin and Speaks, the duo couldn't overcome a late break and ultimately fell to the Furman pair to lose the doubles point.
UNCG 6, Wofford 1
GREENSBORO, N.C. – The Wofford women's tennis team fell to UNCG, 6-1, Friday afternoon in Southern Conference play at the UNCG Tennis Complex
The Terriers fall to 5-7 overall and 1-2 in the SoCon with the loss and the Spartans improve to 4-7 overall and 2-0 in the conference.
UNCG took the doubles point and a 1-0 lead clinching the point on the top court. Wofford tied the point at 1-1 when No. 2 doubles duo Catherine Martin and Mareli Sanchez defeated Jaime Grinberg and Yasmin Franco, 8-3. UNCG went on the clinch the final doubles match at the No. 1 position.
Wofford won its only point on the top court in singles. Sarah Evans defeated Dilara Yurtkuran 6-4, 6-4.
N.C. Central 5, Western Carolina 2
CULLOWHEE, N.C. – Nicole Nielly made her season debut for the Catamounts, but the Western Carolina fell to North Carolina Central, 5-2, Friday afternoon at the tennis courts of the Catamount Athletic Complex.
WCU defaulted the No. 3 doubles match on the afternoon. NCCU clinched the doubles point with a victory at the No. 2 doubles contest as Mia Ramic and Aissa Muamba defeated Shannon Bettiol and Erin Maguire, 8-2. The Catamounts' Stacia Kissell and Megan McLinden dropped the No. 1 doubles match to Rebecca Wood and Ekaterina Nekrasova, 8-3.
Kissell cruised to her 11th victory on the season and ninth in a row, defeating Wood in straight sets, 6-0, 6-3, at the No. 1 singles match.
In the No. 6 singles contest, WCU's Erin Maguire fell in straight sets to Lynsey Cover of NCCU, 6-0, 6-4.
Sara Ruiz Pajares won her second singles match of the season, defeating Tamara Jeremic in the No. 4 singles match, 6-1, 6-4.
In her first match of the season Nielly played in the No. 5 slot, but dropped her match to Ramic, 6-0, 7-5.
McLinden lost in a tough contest at the No. 3 matchup, Nekrasova, 6-4, 7-5.
At the No. 2 singles, Shannon Bettiol dropped a tough contest against Muamba, 7-5, 6-4.
WCU is back in action on Saturday, March 22, as the Catamounts travel to play UNC-Charlotte at 1 p.m.