MOBILE, Ala. ? The South Alabama women’s tennis team captured a 6-1 victory over No. 73 Marshall Thursday afternoon at the Bruce David Lubel Memorial Tennis Courts.

USA (14-2) will now head on the road for a pair of matches this weekend when it takes on Tulsa on Saturday in Tulsa, Okla., and then Wichita State on Sunday in Wichita, Kan.  Marshall falls to 12-8 with the loss.

The Jags, ranked 52^nd by the ITA, came out and took an early 1-0 lead in the match when they captured two of the three doubles matches.  USA’s team of Michaela Babicova/Katie Welch defeated the Herd’s Isabel Raich and Thaddea Lock 8-4 at No. 2 and then the Jaguar tandem of Jelena Krivacevic/Erica Krisan clinched the point with an 8-4 win of their own over Jeanne Schwartz and Jessica Keener (Marshall) at No. 3.  In a battle of ranked doubles teams, Marshall’s Kellie Schmitt and Karolina Soor, ranked No. 23 by the ITA, outlasted USA’s 35^th-ranked duo of Adrianna Solarova and Sylvanie Spangenberg at No. 1 to capture an 8-6 win.

In singles action, South Alabama continued its strong play picking up five of the six points.  Spangenberg and Krivacevic were both straight set winners at the Nos. 5 and 6 spots, respectively, while Babicova, Krisan and Welch each captured victories on Thursday in three setters.

No. 58 University of South Alabama 6, No. 73 Marshall 1

03/27/08 at Mobile, Ala.

 Singles competition

1. No. 60 Kellie Schmitt (MAR) def. Adrianna Solarova (USAW) 3-6, 6-4, 7-5

2. No. 123 Michaela Babicova (USAW) def. Karolina Soor (MAR) 3-6, 6-1, 6-2

3. Erica Krisan (USAW) def. Jeanne Schwartz (MAR) 3-6, 6-2, 6-4

4. Katie Welch (USAW) def. Isabell Raich (MAR) 6-4, 3-6, 7-5

5. Sylvanie Spangenberg (USAW) def. Thaddea Lock (MAR) 7-5, 7-6

6. Jelena Krivacevic (USAW) def. Jessica Keener (MAR) 6-0, 7-6

 Doubles competition

1. No. 23 Karolina Soor/Kellie Schmitt (MAR) def. No. 35 Adrianna Solarova/Sylvanie Spangenberg (USAW) 8-6

2. Michaela Babicova/Katie Welch (USAW) def. Thaddea Lock/Isabell Raich (MAR) 8-4

3. Jelena Krivacevic/Erica Krisan (USAW) def. Jeanne Schwartz/Jessica Keener (MAR) 8-4

Match Notes:

Marshall 12-8; National ranking No. 73

University of South Alabama 14-2; National ranking No. 58

Order of finish: Doubles (2,3,1); Singles (5,6,3,2,1,4)