Alabama
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Mississippi State
Women's Tennis Beats Mississippi State 6-1
4/9/2010 12:00:00 AM | Women's Tennis
April 9, 2010
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. - The women's tennis team (9-10, 2-7 SEC) knocked off No. 66 Mississippi State (9-10, 1-8 SEC) 6-1 on Friday at the University of Alabama Tennis Stadium. The Crimson Tide breezed past the Bulldogs in doubles play and easily clinched the match in singles.
"It was a battle today," head coach Jenny Mainz said. "The match was hard-fought by both teams. Mississippi State responded well after losing doubles, taking leads on four courts early. However, I thought we stayed composed and showed great poise. We panicked a little against LSU when it got close, but today we stepped up to the challenge."
Alabama got off to a fast start in doubles, taking an early break lead on each of the three courts. On court one, the No. 20 ranked duo of sophomore Courtney McLane and freshman Alexa Guarachi continued their solid play, cruising to an 8-3 victory over Mississippi State's senior Radka Ferancova and freshman Danielle Terpko. McLane and Guarachi broke serve twice in racing out to a 5-1 lead and never dropped serve in the match.
The Tide clinched the doubles point with an 8-3 win at the No. 3 position. Senior Paulina Bigos and junior Meritt Emery were in control from the start against senior Valeriya Makarycheva and junior Mariia Ryzhova, claiming a 6-1 lead behind three breaks. The Alabama pair stumbled slightly at 7-1 as Bigos dropped serve and the Bulldog duo held in the next game, but Emery successfully served it out. Mississippi State took the match on court two thanks to a retirement by senior Alice Tunaru and freshman Antonia Foehse, who were leading sophomores Oleysa Tsigvintseva and Natalia Mayuk 6-4 when the Tide clinched.
Alabama gave the Bulldogs few opportunities to get back into the match once singles started, winning four of the six first sets. Due to a lineup issue by Mississippi State, the Tide would end up getting default wins at No. 4 and No. 5, however the matches were still played out. On court two, No. 47 Guarachi made quick work of Ferancova 6- 2, 6-1. The match opened with three straight breaks before Guarachi was able to consolidate a break lead at 3-1. She ran away with the match from there, not dropping serve the rest of the match.
Tunaru would be next to finish with a 6-4, 6-1 victory over Terpko on court six. The players traded early breaks in the first set, but it was Tunaru who would break at 4-4 and serve out the set. Tunaru made sure the momentum was on her side early in the second, breaking serve for a 2-1 lead. She would continue to dominate play, finishing off the match by ripping a cross-court return and putting away an easy volley into the open court.
Play continued despite Alabama already having clinched. McLane battled past Tsigvintseva 7-6(5), 6-2 at the No. 1 spot. Tsigvintseva looked in control of the first set, holding a 5-2 lead before McLane could sink her teeth into the match. McLane broke back twice to even the score at 5-5, and the set eventually went into a tiebreak. McLane fell behind 0-2 in the tiebreak, but rallied back to tie the score at five, taking the final two points to win it seven points to five. The Tide sophomore broke serve twice early in the second to take a 4-1 lead, easily cruising to the win from there.
The final match of the day was the only three-set match, as Emery and Mayuk were locked in a tight match the entire day. Mayuk to the first set 6-4 after leading 5-2 and holding off a furious comeback from Emery. The second set featured numerous breaks, including five consecutive to open the set. With neither player able to take a substantial lead, the set was forced into a tiebreak. In the tiebreak, Emery took a 3-0 lead, never letting Mayuk back on serve, eventually winning it seven points to two. The third was decided in a super tiebreak. Emery looked like she would take it easily, claiming a 6-4 lead before Mayuk won four consecutive points. Emery won the next point to make the score 8-7 in favor of Mayuk, who held on for the win by winning the next two points for a 10-7 triumph.
"Paulina and Meritt both really battled today and showed great tenacity," Mainz added. "They really helped the rest of the team even though they came up short. Antonia played great today in getting a convincing win. This was a solid team effort. SEC wins are hard to come by, so I am very proud of the effort today."
The Tide plays its final home match of the season on Sunday when it hosts No. 18 Mississippi on Senior Day. Opening serve is slated for 1:00 p.m. (CST).
RESULTS
Doubles
1. No. 20 Guarachi/McLane (UA) def. Ferancova/Terpko (MSU) 8-3
2. Tsigvintseva/Mayuk (MSU) def. Foehse/Tunaru (UA) 4-6, ret.
3. Bigos/Emery (UA) def. Makarycheva/Ryzhova (MSU) 8-3
Order of Finish: 1,3,2
Singles
1. Courtney McLane (UA) def. Olesya Tsigvintseva (MSU) 7-6(5), 6-2
2. No. 47 Alexa Guarachi (UA) def. Radka Ferancova (MSU) 6-2, 6-1
3. Natalia Mayuk (MSU) def. Meritt Emery (UA) 6-4, 6-7(2), 1-0(7)
4. Antonia Foehse (UA) def. Valeriya Makarycheva (MSU) default
5. Paulina Bigos (UA) def. Mariia Ryzhova (MSU) default
6. Alice Tunaru (UA) def. Danielle Terpko (MSU) 6-4, 6-1
Order of Finish: 4,5,2*,6,1,3
Players Mentioned
