Alabama
University of Georgia
Crimson Tide Women’s Tennis Comes up Short Against Georgia
3/10/2017 9:47:00 PM | Women's Tennis
Senior Erin Routliffe wins at No. 1 singles
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – The 46th-ranked Alabama women's tennis team fell to No. 13 Georgia, 6-1, in its Southeastern Conference home opener on Friday at the Alabama Tennis Stadium. With the loss, the Crimson Tide moves to 6-7 overall and 0-3 in SEC play, while the win brings the Bulldogs to 8-3 on the season and 2-1 against league opponents.
Georgia took a 1-0 lead in the match following doubles after winning on two of the three courts. At the No. 3 spot, junior Mariana Gould and freshman Marta Gonzalez picked up the 6-2 victory over Alabama senior Joanna Savva and sophomore Andie Daniell to give the Bulldogs the advantage. The Tide's 25th ranked duo of senior Erin Routliffe and freshman Maddie Pothoff evened the count as they cruised to a 6-2 win against Georgia senior Caroline Brinson and junior Ellen Perez. The point would come down to the matchup on court two where Bulldog junior Kennedy Shaffer and freshman Elena Christofi, ranked 58th, pulled away late to claim the 6-3 decision over Alabama senior Danielle Spielmann and junior Smith Hinton.
The Bulldogs jumped in front, 2-0, after securing the first singles point with a 6-2, 6-1 victory from No. 86 Brinson over Hinton on court four. From there it would be quite some time before the next point was earned as the five remaining matches all went the distance in three sets. On court one, No. 59 Routliffe would earn the victory, topping No. 55 Perez in a back-and-forth battle, 7-5, 2-6, 7-5. Georgia countered shortly after to take a 3-1 lead as Gonzalez collected the 3-6, 6-3, 6-4 win over Pothoff from court five. On court two, the match was up for grabs as it went into a third set tiebreaker, but it would be 18th-ranked Christofi coming out on top in the end to clinch for the Bulldogs with a 6-1, 2-6, 7-6(6) win over No. 124 Daniell. Georgia would go on to claim the match on court three next with a 6-7(4), 7-5, 6-1 win and followed that up with a 7-5, 6-7(4), 6-1 decision from the No. 6 spot.
Next up, the Tide hosts No. 13 Tennessee on Sunday at the Alabama Tennis Stadium. Match time is set for 1 p.m. CT.
RESULTS
Doubles
1. No. 25 Routliffe/Pothoff (UA) def. Perez/Brinson (UGA) 6-2
2. No. 58 Christofi/Shaffer (UGA) def. Spielmann/Hinton (UA) 6-3
3. Gonzalez/Gould (UGA) def. Daniell/Savva (UA) 6-2
Order of Finish: 3, 1, 2
Singles
1. No. 59 Erin Routliffe (UA) def. No. 55 Ellen Perez (UGA) 7-5, 2-6, 7-5
2. No. 18 Elena Christofi (UGA) def. No. 124 Andie Daniell (UA) 6-1, 2-6, 7-6(6)
3. No. 63 Kennedy Shaffer (UGA) def. Danielle Spielmann (UA) 6-7(4), 7-5, 6-1
4. No. 86 Caroline Brinson (UGA) def. Smith Hinton (UA) 6-2, 6-1
5. Marta Gonzalez (UGA) def. Maddi Pothoff (UA) 3-6, 6-3, 6-4
6. Mariana Gould (UGA) def. Juliana Valero (UA) 7-5, 6-7(4), 6-1
Order of Finish: 4, 1, 5, 2*, 3, 6
For the latest information on the team follow AlabamaWTN on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook. General athletic news can also be found at UA_Athletics on Twitter and Instagram and Alabama Athletics on Facebook.
Players Mentioned
