Women?s Tennis Inches Past Mississippi State 4-3
3/7/2008 12:00:00 AM | Women's Tennis
TUSCALOOSA, Ala.- The University of Alabama women's tennis team battled Mississippi State for over five hours today before overcoming the Bulldogs in a 4-3 victory. With the win Alabama improves to 4-7 overall and 1-2 in conference play, while Mississippi State falls to 5-4 overall and 0-3 in the SEC.
Today's contest marked the fourth match the Tide has played in this season that was decided by one point and the first win for Alabama in that setting.
Alabama clinched the doubles point for the fourth time this season. The Tide earned wins at nos. one and three to get the point.
The freshman duo of Meritt Emery and Tiffany Welcher picked up the first win for the Tide. The pair scored eight unanswered points in the tiebreaker to defeated Daniela Juskova and Valeriya Makarycheva 9-8(1) from No. 3.
The top Tide tandem of Andrea Brenes and Paulina Bigos came from behind to defeat Martna Banikova and Elna de Villiers 9-8(6) to clinch the point.
After one hour and 15 minutes the match was suspended due to rain and moved to the Hank Crisp Indoor Facility. The match resumed with all players still in their first set of singles.
Alabama's Welcher dominated Banikova from No. 1 singles, 6-3, 6-0, to move the Tide ahead 2-0. The Bulldogs responded with wins at nos. two and four to tie the score.
Paulina Bigos battled Mississippi State's Ferancova for over two and a half hour but came up short in the tiebreaker and fell to her opponent in three sets on court three.
Alabama found itself down 3-2 with only two players left on the court. Alabama's Bianca Svensson defeated DeAndra Saddler, 6-3, 6-2, to knot the score at 3-3.
The match came down to the only veteran in the Alabama singles lineup. Junior Shelley Godwin, who returned to the lineup at the start of the conference season, clinched the match for the Tide with a 6-4, 6-3 victory over Makarycheva from the No. 6 slot.
"If felt good to win today because we were playing with a purpose and added motivation," said junior Shelley Godwin. "It was a team effort today and I could not have clinched without my teammates. I had an added surge of confidence knowing that the match was on my shoulders. I knew I was going to win and that my teammates could trust me."
The Tide returns to action Sunday as it hosts Ole Miss at 1:00 p.m. at the UA Varsity Courts.
Alabama 4, MSU 3
UA Varsity Courts/Hank Crisp Indoor Facility
Tuscaloosa, Ala.
Singles:
1. Tiffany Welcher (UA) d. Martina Banikova (MSU) 6-3, 6-0
2. Renee Joseph (MSU) d. Alice Tunaru (UA) 6-4, 5-7, 4-6
3. Radka Ferancova (MSU) d. Paulina Bigos (UA) 4-6, 6-2, 7-6(8-6)
4. Elna de Villiers (MSU) d. Meritt Emery (UA) 6-1, 7-5
5. Bianca Svensson (UA) d. DeAndra Saddler (MSU) 6-3, 6-2
6. Shelley Godwin (UA) d. Valeriya Makarycheva (MSU) 6-4, 6-3
Order of finish:1,4,2,3,5,6*
Doubles:
1. Andrea Brenes/Paulina Bigos (UA) d. Martina Banikova/Elna de Villier (MSU) 9-8 (6)
2. Renee Joseph/Radka Ferancova (MSU) d. Bianca Svensson/Alice Tunaru (UA) 8-1
3. Tiffany Welcher/Meritt Emery (UA) d. Daniela Juskova/Valeriya Makarycheva (MSU) 9-8 (1)
Order of finish:2,3,1
