Women's Tennis: April 11 Scoreboard
Southland Conference
Nicholls 4, Stephen F. Austin 3
Northwestern State 4, McNeese State 1
Abilene Christian 7, Sam Houston State 0
Central Arkansas at UIW, Postponed (Weather)
Nicholls 4, Stephen F. Austin 3
NACOGDOCHES, Texas – With first-place on the line, the Nicholls State University women’s tennis team came up short in doubles against Stephen F. Austin, but the Colonels put together a strong showing in singles to hand the Ladyjacks their first loss in conference as Nicholls claimed a 4-3 victory at the Schlief Tennis Complex on Saturday afternoon.
The Colonels (17-4, 9-1 SLC) now control their own destiny for the Southland Conference regular season championship with only one match remaining. With a win over Southeastern Louisiana in its home finale on Sunday, April 19, Nicholls would secure at least a share of the title, which would be their first since 1995.
Stephen F. Austin (13-6, 7-1 SLC) get off to a great start as Nicholls lost the doubles point for only the second time in conference play this season. The Ladyjacks won the No. 3 court as Kateryna Nakonechna and Isla Brock fell, 8-2, but Stephanie Barnett and Klara Skopac came back with an 8-4 victory at No. 1. On the decisive No. 2 court, Julia Lorca and Denise Maxl would secure the point for SFA with an 8-4 win over Marie Aubert and Milou Pietersz.
Despite falling in doubles, Pietersz came back strong in singles on the No. 4 court by defeating Dhanielly Quevedo in straight sets, 6-2, 6-1, to even the match. Skopac then put the Colonels in front as she defeated Maxl, 6-2, 6-0, on the No. 2 court, and Barnett stayed undefeated in Southland play at No. 1 with a 6-4, 6-2 win over Melena Gordo.
Needing just one more point for the victory, the Colonels came up short in the next two completed matches as SFA clawed back to even the score at 3-3. Aubert was defeated on the No. 3 court by Vivienne Kulicke, 6-2, 6-4, while Nakonechna fell to Valeria Terentyeva on the No. 5 court, 6-3, 7-6 (4).
The match came down to the No. 6 court, with SFA’s Lorca defeating Brock in the first set, 6-3. Brock, who entered the match undefeated in singles in Southland competition this season, fought back to even it up with a 6-3 victory in the second set and went on to clinch the team victory with another 6-3 win in the final set.
Nicholls will close out the regular season on April 19 at home against the rival Lady Lions. The Colonels will honor Aubert and Nakonechna before the match, with first serve scheduled for 2 p.m.
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Northwestern State 4, McNeese State 1
NATCHITOCHES – It was a perfect Senior Day for Northwestern State women's tennis veterans Tatiana Larina and Amy Williams, whose four seasons have featured 32 Southland Conference wins, including Saturday's 4-1 decision over a good McNeese State team at the Jack Fisher Tennis Complex.
NSU (11-8 overall, 7-2 in the Southland) fed off an emotional pre-match ceremony with poignant remarks by Larina, who ranks among the winningest players in school history, and Williams, the 2014 Southland Conference Steve McCarty Citizenship Award women's winner whose career was cut short by hip surgery.
Larina and Natalya Krutova remained unbeaten in Southland play at No. 1 doubles with an 8-3 victory over Julia Kral and Hannah Brett. Krutova's 6-3, 6-3 triumph over Kral in the No. 2 singles match clinched the overall outcome. McNeese slipped to 10-7 overall, 6-3 in the Southland.
The Lady Demons have two regular-season matches remaining, at Lamar and Sam Houston next weekend, and still have a mathematical chance to defend their 2014 Southland regular-season crown. Nicholls knocked Stephen F. Austin from the unbeaten ranks Saturday with a 4-3 win, leaving those teams tied, each with one loss, with one weekend of play remaining. NSU is in third place, one back.
"It's an important win and I am so proud of the girls after a tough day yesterday (in a 4-0 home loss to Nicholls)," said first-year coach Olga Bazhanova. "They knew they had to step it up physically and emotionally on court and they certainly met the challenge today."
Polina Ivanova and Kateryna Piatakova handed NSU the doubles point, besting Sarah Jurakova and Vivien Borbely 8-6.
Larina picked up a quick win in the No. 1 singles when Klaudia Gawlik defaulted after three games. Ivanova made it 3-0 NSU with a 6-1, 6-3 decision at No. 4 over Borbely, before Jurakova supplied McNeese's only point with a 6-1, 6-1 win over Barbora Kollarova in the No. 5 match.
Krutova polished off Kral to settle the outcome with the two remaining matches still very much in doubt.
"We used the momentum in singles after winning the doubles point," said Bazhanova. "On Senior Day, in front of our great fans, our team showed great determination to get the win."
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Abilene Christian 7, Sam Houston State 0
ABILENE, Texas – Abilene Christian women's tennis started its weekend homestand with a convincing 7-0 victory over Southland Conference rival Sam Houston State Saturday on the outdoor courts of the Eager Tennis Pavilion.
It was ACU's (9-6, 4-4 Southland) first shutout in league play since defeating Incarnate Word by the same score here on March 6.
Leading the way for the Wildcats was No. 1 singles and doubles competitor Brittney Reed, who first defeated the team of Olivia Battye and Mila Milanovic, 8-6, alongside partner Kaysie Hermsdorf before battling past Fabienne Gettwart, 6-0, 7-5, at the top spot.
Reed's and Hermsdorf's victory together was their 14th of the spring and ninth at No. 1. They also are 5-1 at the first position against conference opponents.
Elsewhere in doubles freshman Whitney Williams and sophomore Erin Walker improved to 7-3 over their last 10 decisions with an 8-1 win over Karen Martinez and Bailey VanDyke, and at No. 3, Lucile Pothier and Carli Knezevich were leading Gettwart and Maddie Mortimore, 7-4, when their match was suspended.
All the Wildcats went on to win in straight sets with many of their scores decided by three points or more. Junior Nada Marjanovic won her third-straight match at No. 6 over Mortimore, 6-3, 6-1 to reclaim the team's best overall record at 11-1, while Hermsdorf, Walker and Pothier each won for the 10th time this season.
Williams' 6-2, 6-3 victory at No. 4 over VanDyke lifted her conference singles mark to 5-1. She is 8-5 overall.
The Wildcats return to action Sunday as part of a tripleheader with the men's team. ACU's men and women first battle Lamar at 11:44 a.m. The men will later play host to UT-Permian Basin at 5 p.m.
The forecast calls for mostly cloudy skies with a high of 82 degrees and a 20 percent chance of rain.
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