Alabama
Missouri
Women's Tennis Drops 4-3 Decision at Missouri
3/20/2016 12:00:00 AM | Women's Tennis
COLUMBIA, Mo. - The Alabama women's tennis team (4-10, 0-6 Southeastern Conference) held a 3-2 lead over the Missouri Tigers (13-5, 1-4 SEC) but eventually fell 4-3 on the road Sunday.
The Crimson Tide couldn't grab the doubles point against Missouri, with the Tigers winning on courts one and three. At the third spot, Cassidy Spearman and Brittany Lashway beat juniors Joanna Nena Savva and Danielle Spielmann 6-2. Missouri clinched the doubles point with a 6-4 victory by Bea Machado Santos and Brianna Lashway over the 32nd-ranked pair of freshman Andie Daniell and junior Erin Routliffe.
With the match being played indoors due to weather, the top four singles pairings took the courts first. All four of those contests would be pushed to three sets. The first to be completed was court four, where Savva ran away from Brittany Lashway in the final set for a 6-3, 3-6, 6-0 triumph. Kelli Hine put her team back in front by taking down 31st-ranked Daniell 6-2, 6-7, 6-3 at the second spot.
Alabama claimed the next two matches completed to surge ahead 3-2. Senior Natalia Maynetto rebounded from letting a lead slip away against Brianna Lashway at the third position, pulling out a 6-3, 4-6, 6-4 win. Routliffe, ranked 85th in the nation, rallied back from losing her first set 7-6 at the top spot against 98th-ranked Machado Santos. The Alabama junior won sets two and three by a score of 6-2, improving to 9-2 in dual matches and 6-0 in SEC play.
The Tigers were able to come back by taking the matchups at the fifth and sixth positions. Spearman won the first set against Spielmann and took the final three games of the second for the 6-1, 7-5 victory. With the team score tied at 3-3, sophomore Aryn Greene lost a tight opening set 7-6 to Clare Raley and could not rally back, falling 7-6, 6-3.
Next up, the Tide returns home to host Ole Miss on Thursday, March 24 at 5 p.m. CT and Mississippi State on Saturday, March 26 at 1 p.m. CT.
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