Alabama
Oklahoma
Women's Tennis Topped by Oklahoma, 4-2
2/25/2011 12:00:00 AM | Women's Tennis
Feb. 25, 2011
MONTGOMERY, Ala. - In its first match at the 2011 Blue Gray National Tennis Classic, the 36th-ranked women's tennis team dropped a 4-2 decision to No. 22 Oklahoma on Friday at Lagoon Park. The loss puts the Crimson Tide at 5-2 on the season, while the Sooners improve to 6-1.
"It was a well-played match both ways," Alabama head coach Jenny Mainz said. "All the matches were well-contested. I told the team afterwards that these were the situations we needed to be in, whether we won or lost. Oklahoma is a deep, talented team that fights at every position. The match was exactly what I anticipated. We had our chances, but I felt Oklahoma did a good job of taking care of things better than we did on the important points."
Alabama continued its dominance in doubles winning its seventh doubles point in as many matches this season. The Tide picked up a pair of 8-4 victories for the early lead, first on court one followed by court two. Junior Courtney McLane and sophomore Alexa Guarachi, ranked fourth in the nation, teamed together to take down Oklahoma's top doubles team of senior Ana-Maria Constantinescu and freshman Alice Radu, ranked 59th in the nation, at the No. 1 position. On court two, it would be Tide junior Taylor Lindsey and freshman Alex Clay securing the point with a win over Sooner senior Maria Kalashnikova and freshman Whitney Ritchie.
Constantinescu would even the score for Oklahoma as she was the first to finish in singles collecting a 6-3, 6-3 win over freshman Mary Anne Macfarlane, ranked No. 24, on court one. Constantinescu pulled out in front early with a 5-0 lead in the first before Macfarlane was able to win three consecutive games. Macfarlane's comeback would end up short with Constantinescu winning the final game of the first before going on to take the second set by the same score.
Guarachi would give the Tide its final point of the match with a win on court two as she earned a straight-sets win over Radu. The first was close with Guarachi edging Radu 7-5, but in the second frame it was all Guarachi as she dominated 6-2.
"Alexa had a breakthrough match today," Mainz said. "I saw a spark in her today, and she played with a lot of resolve. I felt like she competed well on the more important points throughout the entire match. She was consistent throughout, so credit to her."
Oklahoma's second point of the afternoon was awarded on court three with a come-from-behind win for the Sooners. No. 91 McLane cruised through the first set, winning 6-0, but Ritchie came back to win the next two 6-1, 7-5.
Oklahoma would wrap up the win with a pair of matches at No. 4 and No. 5. First to finish was Sooner junior Marie-Pier Huet, who posted a 7-5, 6-3 win over Clay on court four. The match would be clinched on court five as Kalashnikova outlasted sophomore Antonia Foehse 7-6(5), 6-4.
"Oklahoma played a good match and responded well after losing the doubles point," Mainz said. "We played a very solid doubles point and got a lot of momentum from that. We came out ready to play in singles. I felt like we were in all of the matches, but came up short. All of the teams at this tournament are high quality, and the experience we gain from this weekend will, no doubt, help us as we move along through our season."
Next up, the Tide will take on No. 51 Utah on Saturday at 8:30 a.m. CT. For more information about the tournament, including live scoring, visit BlueGrayTennis.com.
RESULTS
Doubles
1. No. 4 Guarachi/McLane (UA) def. No. 59 Constantinescu/Radu (OU) 8-4
2. Clay/Lindsey (UA) def. Ritchie/Kalashnikova (OU) 8-4
3. No. 43 Macfarlane/Foehse (UA) vs. Eckel/Huet (OU) 5-4, unf.
Order of Finish: 1,2
Singles
1. Ana-Maria Constantinescu (OU) def. No. 24 Mary Anne Macfarlane (UA) 6-3, 6-3
2. No. 85 Alexa Guarachi (UA) def. Alice Radu (OU) 7-5, 6-2
3. Whitney Ritchie (OU) def. No. 91 Courtney McLane (UA) 0-6, 6-1, 7-5
4. Marie-Pier Huet (OU) def. Alex Clay (UA) 7-5, 6-3
5. Maria Kalashnikova (OU) def. Antonia Foehse (UA) 7-6(5), 6-4
6. Taylor Lindsey (UA) vs. Mia Lancaster (OU) 5-7, 6-4, 2-0, unf.
Order of Finish: 1,2,3,4,5*
Players Mentioned
