Alabama
South Carolina
Women's Tennis Edged by South Carolina
3/12/2010 12:00:00 AM | Women's Tennis
March 12, 2010
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. - The No. 69 women's tennis team (6-6, 0-3 SEC) fell 4-3 to No. 20 South Carolina (8-3, 3-0 SEC) on Friday at the University of Alabama Tennis Stadium in a hard-fought contest. The loss was the first home loss of the season for the Crimson Tide.
"I am very proud of the effort across the board today," head coach Jenny Mainz said of her team. "We gave ourselves chances to win. I like how we responded after losing the doubles point once again. I am very proud of the way we battled with resiliency. We came out ready to play in singles, which is exactly what we needed."
The doubles point was tightly contested, coming down to an 8-6 decision on court two. South Carolina took the match at No. 3 easily, as sophomore Anya Morgina and freshman Adriana Pereira broke junior Meritt Emery and freshman Antonia Foehse three times en route to an 8-2 victory. Alabama countered by claiming an 8-3 win on court one. The Gamecocks' senior Ana Marija Zubori and sophomore Dijana Stojic were no match for the 47th-ranked duo of freshman Alexa Guarachi and sophomore Courtney McLane, and the Tide tandem took the match 8-3.
At the No. 2 spot, junior Milijana Jocic and freshman Rita Maisak raced out to a 5-1 lead and appeared to be in for an easy victory. However, seniors Paulina Bigos and Alice Tunaru battled back, winning four straight games to tie the score at 5-5. South Carolina would bounce back quickly with some help from Tunaru, who committed three double faults to drop serve. That was all the Gamecocks needed for the win, as they served out the 8-6 victory and claimed the doubles point.
The Tide answered quickly with a 6-1, 6-2 victory by Bigos on court four over freshman Madeleine Saari-Bystrom. Bigos and Saari-Bystrom traded early breaks in the first set, but Bigos would only surrender one more game the rest of the match. South Carolina regained the lead when Pereira took down Tunaru 7-5, 6-4 at the No. 6 spot. Tunaru fought back from an early break to eventually serve for the first set at 5-4, but Pereira was able to break and win the first set 7-5. Tunaru jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the second, but Pereira battled back to break serve three times in the set to capture the victory.
The Gamecocks built a 3-1 lead thanks to Jocic, who took down Foehse 6-3, 6-3 on court five. Foehse broke to open the match, but Jocic was able to break in two consecutive games to regain the lead and run away with the set. In the second, the two players traded break to open the set before Jocic broke again. Jocic consolidated the break and broke Foehse at 5-3 to win the match.
No. 78 Guarachi kept Alabama in the match, defeating yet another ranked opponent, this time at the No. 1 position. Guarachi dropped the opening set to No. 72 Zubori as both players struggled to hold serve. Zubori broke serve four times en route to take the set 6-2. The second set featured three breaks of serve, including Guarachi breaking at 5-5 for the chance to serve out the set, which she did successfully. Guarachi held the momentum to open the final set, earning a break in the opening game. Zubori would break back for 1-1, but it was Guarachi who would take full control with a break at 2-2, taking the set 6-3.
The final two matches of the day were also tight three-set matches. The one that would decide the match was on court three, where Emery and Morgina were doing battle. Emery staked a 5-2 lead in the opening set, but Morgina won three games in a row to tie the score at 5-5. Emery responded by taking the final two games of the set for a 7-5 first set victory. Morgina broke serve three times in the second set to win the set 6-3 and force a third. In the final set, both players were clearly feeling the pressure on their serves, as there were six breaks in the set. Morgina had a 4-1 lead, but Emery fought back to 4-4. Emery could not inch ahead, dropping serve to fall behind 5-4. Morgina lost the first three points of the game, going down 0-40, but battle back to win the next five points, clinching the match for South Carolina with her 5-7, 6-3, 6-4.
Alabama grabbed the final match of the day when Stojic retired in the middle of the third set. Stojic had the opportunity to close the match out in straight sets, taking the first 6-4 and serving for the match at 5-3. However, McLane broke back and forced the second set into a tiebreak, which she took seven points to five. The final set was on serve at 3-2 Stojic when she retired.
Alabama continues its home stand Sunday when it hosts No. 5 Florida. Opening serve is scheduled for 1:00 p.m. (CST).
RESULTS
Doubles
1. No. 47 McLane/Guarachi (UA) def. Zubori/Stojic (SC) 8-3
2. Jocic/Maisak (SC) def. Bigos/Tunaru (UA) 8-6
3. Morgina/Pereira (SC) def. Emery/Foehse (UA) 8-2
Order of Finish: 3,1,2
Singles
1. No. 78 Alexa Guarachi (UA) def. No. 72 Ana Marija Zubori (SC) 2-6, 7-5, 6-3
2. Courtney McLane (UA) def. Dijana Stojic (SC) 4-6, 7-6(5), 2-3, ret.
3. No. 111 Anya Morgina (SC) def. Meritt Emery (UA) 5-7, 6-3, 6-4
4. Paulina Bigos (UA) def. Madeleine Saari-Bystrom 6-1, 6-2
5. Milijana Jocic (SC) def. Antonia Foehse (UA) 6-3, 6-3
6. Adriana Pereira (SC) def. Alice Tunaru (UA) 7-5, 6-4
Order of Finish: 4,6,5,1,3*,2
Players Mentioned
