MONROE, La. ? The second-seeded South Alabama women’s tennis team outlasted fourth-seeded Louisiana-Lafayette Sunday afternoon in the consolation match of the 2008 Sun Belt Conference Tournament to pick up a 4-3 victory at the Heard Tennis Courts on the Louisiana-Monroe campus.  With the win, USA improves to 19-5 on the season and finished in third place in the conference tournament.  The Ragin’ Cajuns drop to 16-7 with the loss.

South Alabama was able to take two of the three doubles matches and go up 1-0 early in the match.  ULL’s team of Mia Gordon/Julie Mazinova picked up an 8-2 victory at No. 3, but the Jaguar duo of Solarova/Sylvanie Spangenberg tied things back up with an 8-6 win at No. 1.  USA’s Michaela Babicova and Katie Welch then sealed the point with an 8-4 win over Angelam Dangond/Myrthe Molenveld (ULL) at No. 2

In singles play, Solarova defeated her Cajun counterpart 6-1, 6-1 at No. 1 to put the Jags up 2-0 in the match, but ULL took three of the next four singles matches, capturing wins at the Nos. 3, 4 and 5 spots, to tie the contest up at 3-3.   In the sixth and deciding singles contest, South Alabama senior Jelena Krivacevic clinched the match victory with a three-set decision at No. 6 (6-3, 4-6, 7-5).

No. 45 University of South Alabama 4, Louisiana-Lafayette 3

 Singles competition

1. Adrianna Solarova (USA) def. Julie Mazinova (ULL) 6-1, 6-1

2. Michaela Babicova (USA) def. Myrthe Molenveld (ULL) 6-2, 7-5

3. Kim van der Horst (ULL) def. Erica Krisan (USA) 7-6 (7-4), 7-5

4. Angelam Dangond (ULL) def. Katie Welch (USA) 6-3, 6-3

5. Bridget Marcovich (ULL) def. Sylvanie Spangenberg (USA) 7-6, 3-6, 6-4

6. Jelena Krivacevic (USA) def. Mia Gordon (ULL) 6-3, 4-6, 7-5

 Doubles competition

1. Adrianna Solarova/Sylvanie Spangenberg (USA) def. Bridget Marcovich/Kim van der Horst (ULL) 8-6

2. Michaela Babicova/Katie Welch (USA) def. Angelam Dangond/Myrthe Molenveld (ULL) 8-4

3. Mia Gordon/Julie Mazinova (ULL) def. Erica Krisan/Jelena Krivacevic (USA) 8-2

Match Notes:

Louisiana-Lafayette 16-7

University of South Alabama 18-5; National ranking No. 45

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