Chattanooga 5, Lipscomb 2

NASHVILLE, Tenn. - The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga women’s tennis team had to work to stay undefeated at Lipscomb tonight.  The Mocs improved to 5-0 on the year with a hard-fought 5-2 win over the Bison in Nashville, Tenn.

Chattanooga jumped out to a 1-0 lead after winning the doubles point.  Junior Kayla Jones and freshman Samantha Caswell opened with a win at No. 1.  Junior Katie Polk and sophomore Rachele Gazzola clinched the point with their win at No. 3.

The teams played on four courts in singles and split the first four matches.  UTC went up 2-0 with Jones’s three-set win over Deahna Welcher at No. 1.  Lipscomb tied the match with wins at No. 3 and No. 4.

Senior Kaylene Chadwell pulled out a big three-set win at No. 2.  She was down a break in the second and third sets before posting a (2-6, 6-4, 7-5) win over Hannah Gamage.

Senior Claire Mulyadi took the court at No. 5, needing to win to clinch the match for the Mocs.  She quickly dug herself a 3-0 hole, but won six of the next seven games to take the first set.  She won the second set 7-5, giving the Mocs the team win.

“Our seniors stepped up tonight,” stated head coach Jeff Clark.  “Kaylene played a tough opponent and got a big win.  CC knew her match could clinch the win for the team and she came through.”

UNCG 5, USC Upstate 2

SPARTANBURG, S.C. – The UNCG women’s tennis team won four of six singles matches to pick up a road 5-2 win at USC Upstate Saturday at the USC Upstate Tennis Complex.

The Spartans improve to 2-2 on the season while USC Upstate falls to 0-5 to start the dual match season.

In doubles, UNCG took a 1-0 lead after winning two of three doubles matches. Senior Stephanie Falcon and freshman Blaine Boaz defeated Sharlee Deshmukh and Anna Zoske, 8-3 at No. 2 doubles.

At No. 1 doubles, Isabel von Stryk and Nona Ruppert took down senior Kayla Gammie and freshman Corinne Blythe, 8-6. In the final match, sophomores Yasmin Franco and Masey DeMoss won by default after USC Upstate didn’t have enough healthy players.

In singles, Boaz earned a victory at No. 6 singles by default after USC Upstate only had four healthy players. With a 2-0 lead, UNCG made it 3-0 after junior Jamie Grinberg defeated Deshmukh, 6-0, 6-2 at No. 5 singles.

At No. 4 singles, Nina Roell outlasted junior Amy Ellis, 2-6, 7-6 (7-5), 6-4, giving Ellis her first loss of the season in singles. Ellis dropped the second set tiebreaker 7-5 and fell short in the third set 6-4.

Blythe earned UNCG another point with a straight sets win against Zoske, 7-5, 6-3 at No. 3 singles. Falcon won in straight sets against Ruppert, 7-6 (8-6), 7-5 at No. 2 singles.

In the final match, von Stryk held on against Gammie, 6-4, 6-7 (4-7), 1-0 (10-5) at No. 1 singles. Gammie won the second set tiebreaker 7-6 (7-4) but dropped a close super tiebreaker 10-5 to make the final score 5-2.

The Blue and Gold travel to Wilmington, N.C. to face UNCW Friday, Feb. 20 at 1:30 p.m.

Auburn 4, Samford 0

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. -- The No. 73-ranked Samford University women’s tennis team’s school-record, 18-match home winning streak came to an end Saturday as the Bulldogs suffered a 4-0 loss to the 28th-ranked Auburn Tigers in a non-conference contest held at the Samford Tennis Center.
 
Samford (3-3) dropped its first home match in nearly two seasons against the visiting Tigers. The Bulldogs’ 18-match home winning stretch dated all the way back to March 23, 2013, against Furman.
 
Auburn (8-2) won the doubles point to take an early 1-0 lead Saturday, but it was the Bulldogs’ doubles tandem comprised of Stephanie N’tcha and Carita Moolman that made history.
 
On court No. 1, Samford’s pairing of N’tcha and Moolman defeated the highest ranked doubles opponent in school history as they toppled Auburn’s No. 7-ranked duo of Emily Flickinger and Pleun Burgmans, 6-2. Last season, Flickinger and Burgmans earned All-America honors and advanced all the way to the semifinal round of the NCAA Tournament.
 
With its victory, the Bulldogs’ N’tcha and Moolman improved to 4-1 on the season and have been triumphant in four straight matches.
 
Auburn flexed its muscles in singles play and picked up straight-set wins on courts No. 2-4 to claim the 4-0 win.
 
On court No. 6, Samford’s Savannah Wood was leading the Tigers’ Jen Pfeifler, 6-3, 3-3, when the overall team match was clinched.

Mississippi State 6, ETSU 1

ROCK HILL, S.C. - After starting the season with five consecutive wins, the ETSU women's tennis team suffered its first loss Saturday, falling in a neutral-site match to No. 74 Mississippi State, 6-1, in Rock Hill, S.C.

Ana Gerbasi and Lyn Yee Choo took the No. 1 Doubles point, defeating Martina Frantova and Naomi Tran, 6-1, however, the Bucs were edged at the No. 2 spot, 6-3, and No. 3, 7-5. Since teaming up Jan. 31 at Belmont, Gerbasi and Choo have gone 4-0 at the No. 1 Doubles spot for ETSU.

Facing a 1-0 deficit heading into singles play, the Buccaneers (5-1) attempted to mount a comeback, but the Bulldogs (6-1) proved too much.
Senior Jessica Brumit was the lone ETSU player to earn a singles victory, saving three match points and winning 4-6, 7-6 (0), 12-10. Brumit now stands at 4-0 in singles play this year.

Reginka Nychytailova and Ionna Markesini each came up short in singles play, falling narrowly in three-set matches.

Gerbasi, Choo, Nychytailova, and Markesini each suffered their first singles loss of the season Saturday.

Miami (OH) 5, Furman 2

ATLANTA, Ga. – Miami University held off 67th-ranked Furman, 5-2, Saturday at the Atlanta Athletic Club in Atlanta, Ga.

The RedHawks  won the top two doubles matches to capture the opening point.  Christine Guerrazzi and Nelli Ponomareva topped senior Alex Moreno-Kaste and sophomore Ansley Speaks, 8-1, in the top flighted contest, and Alix Thurman and Hannah Shteyn notched an 8-3 victory over sophomore Blair Martin and rookie Harper Caswell at number two.  The flight three match was unfinished.

In singles play, the Paladins were victorious in the top two matches, as Speaks beat Ponomareva, 6-2, 6-1, at number one, and Moreno-Kaste held on for a 6-2, 2-6, 1-0 (12-10) win over Guerrazzi at flight two. 

Miami posted wins in the rest of the singles slate for the team victory.  Thurman defeated Martin, 6-2, 7-6(5) at flight three, and Andrea Badileanu recorded a 6-1, 6-2 win versus sophomore Karlee Bryde at number four.  In the flight five contest, Ana Rajkovic bested Caswell, 6-1, 6-4, then Erin Rodriguez tallied a 6-0, 6-4 victory versus rookie Joan van Lochem at number six.