Alabama Women's Tennis Falls to No. 2 Georgia
2/27/2004 12:00:00 AM | Women's Tennis
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TUSCALOOSA—The No. 53 (ITA) Alabama women’s tennis team opened Southeastern Conference play today, losing 5-2 to 2nd-ranked Georgia (6-1, 1-0) at the UA Rec Courts.
Despite the loss, Tide sophomore Robin Stephenson defeated the top ranked player in the country, Agata Cioroch at No. 1 singles, 6-3, 7-6 (2), (10-8). After winning the first set, Stephenson was up 5-2 in the second, but ended up losing the set in a tiebreaker. Stephenson immediately went up 3-1 in the super-breaker before winning 10-8. Alabama head coach Jenny Mainz was extremely proud of Stephenson.
“Robin had lost six matches that she had split,” Mainz said. “It proved to her that she can close out a match when she needs to, and she made it happen. She really needed that (win).”
Stephenson and sophomore Ashley Bentley also defeated Cioroch and Alexandra Smith at No. 1 doubles, 8-3. Cioroch and Shadisha Robinson are ranked No. 4 in doubles, but Robinson did not play today due to injury.
Bentley got her sixth consecutive victory at No. 3 singles with a 6-4, 6-3 win over Jitka Schonfeldova.
“We’re getting a step closer,” Mainz said. “We’re doing the right things to move forward and get better.”
Alabama (4-4, 0-1) will travel to Knoxville, Tennessee to face the 28th-ranked Tennessee Volunteers on Sunday at 1 p.m.
Complete Match Results Follow:
No. 2 Georgia 5, No. 53 Alabama 2
Doubles:
1. Robin Stephenson/Ashley Bentley (UA) d. Agata Cioroch/Alexandra Smith (UGA), 8-3
2. No. 32 Evgenia Subbotina/Jitka Schonfeldova (UGA) d. Nathalie Koppelle/Melissa Minor (UA), 8-6
3. Douglas Wink/Natalie Frazier (UGA) d. Millie Begovic/Mari Muller (UA), 8-4
Singles:
1. Stephenson (UA) d. No. 1 Cioroch (UGA), 6-3, 6-7 (2), (10-8)
2. No. 92 Subbotina (UGA) d. Koppelle (UA), 6-3, 6-2
3. Bentley (UA) d. Schonfeldova (UGA), 6-4, 6-3
4. Frazier (UGA) d. Begovic (UA) 6-1, 6-0
5. Smith (UGA) d. Minor (UA), 6-4, 6-2
6. Wink (UGA) d. Muller (UA), 6-3, 6-2
