MOBILE, Ala. ? The South Alabama women’s tennis team held off a late charge Friday afternoon to pick up its sixth straight win of the spring with a 4-3 victory over Ole Miss at the Palmer/Salloum Tennis Center.
South Alabama (6-0) will now continue its two-match road swing when the Jaguar women head to Starkville, Miss., to take on Mississippi State on Sunday at 1 p.m. at the A.J. Pitts Tennis Centre. The Lady Rebels fall to 4-4 with the loss.
The Jags took an early 1-0 lead in the match when after USA’s team of Michaela Babicova and Katie Welch dropped an 8-5 decision at the No. 2 spot to the Lady Rebels’ Laura van de Stroet/Mimi Renaudin, South Alabama bounced back to take the final two doubles matches and pick up the point. Adrianna Solarova and Sylvanie Spangenberg trailed early on at the No. 1 position, but rallied to pick up an 8-6 win over Ole Miss’ team of Nika Koukhartchouk/Karen Nijssen. Jelena Krivacevic and Erica Krisan then clinched the point with an 8-6 win of their own at No. 3 over Soledad Podlipnik and Preethi Subramanian (UM).
In singles action, USA went up 2-0 in the match when Babicova captured a straight set win, 6-2, 6-0 at No. 2 over Nijssen. Ole Miss then narrowed the deficit to 2-1 when van de Stoet outlasted Krisan at No. 3 to gain a 6-2, 7-6 (6) win. After dropping her first set 6-2 to Kouthartchouk, South Alabama’s Solarova recovered to take the No. 1 match with a 6-4 win in the second set and a 6-2 victory in the third set.
Ole Miss, however, again trimmed the margin to one when Subramanian defeated Spangenberg in straight sets (6-3, 6-3) at No. 4 and then tied things up when Renaudin picked up a three set (2-6, 6-4, 6-2) in at No. 5 over Welch (USA). Playing at the No. 6 spot, Krivacevic ended the Ole Miss run and clinched the match with a 7-6 (4), 6-4 win at No. 6 to give South Alabama the 4-3 match victory.
02/22/08 at Oxford, Miss.
#59 University of South Alabama 4, Ole Miss 3
Singles competition
1. Adrianna Solarova (USAW) def. Nika Koukhartchouk, (OLEMISS) 2-6, 6-4, 6-2
2. Michaela Babicova (USAW) def. Karen Nijssen (OLEMISS) 6-2, 6-0
3. Laura van de Stroet (OLEMISS) def. Erica Krisan (USAW) 6-2, 7-6
4. Preethi Subramanian (OLEMISS) def. Sylvanie Spangenberg (USAW) 6-3, 6-3
5. Mimi Renaudin (OLEMISS) def. Katie Welch (USAW) 2-6, 6-4, 6-2
6. Jelena Krivacevic (USAW) def. Yana Kireeva (OLEMISS) 7-6, 6-4
Doubles competition
1. Sylvanie Spangenberg/Adrianna Solarova (USAW) def. Karen Nijssen/Nika Koukhartchouk, (OLEMISS) 8-6
2. Mimi Renaudin/Laura van de Stroet (OLEMISS) def. Michaela Babicova/Katie Welch (USAW) 8-5
3. Jelena Krivacevic/Erica Krisan (USAW) def. Preethi Subramanian/Soledad Podlipnik (OLEMISS) 8-6
Match Notes:
University of South Alabama 5-0; National ranking No. 59
Ole Miss 4-3 Order of finish: Doubles (2,1,3); Singles (2,3,1,4,5,6)
