FORT MEYERS, Fla. – The University of South Alabama women's tennis team rallied in a back-and-forth dual match for a 4-3 win over Middle Tennessee Sunday at the FGCU Tennis Complex.
Facing a 3-2 deficit, Yurie Takanishi defeated Lidia Burrows 3-6, 7-5, 6-4 at the No. 3 position to even the match, then Diana Monsalve finished the day on the No. 5 court by defeating Muskan Gupta 4-6, 7-6, 7-5 to secure the win for the Jaguars (1-2).
Nikola Kohoutova and Yu Fujioka won in straight sets as well for the Jags, although the Blue Raiders (1-1) answered with victories at the No. 6 and No. 4 positions to set the stage for South's comeback.
DOUBLES
-Lee and Zani Barnard earned a 6-2 victory over Fujioka and Kohoutova on the No. 1 court.
-The Blue Raiders took a 1-0 lead in the match after Burrows and Marta Peris Herrero defeated Milka Pasanen and Takanishi 6-4 at No. 2.
SINGLES
-The Jaguars bounced back and went ahead 2-1 after Kohoutova earned a 6-1, 6-1 win over Lee Barnard at the No. 2 position and Fujioka defeated Zani Barnard 6-1, 6-4 on the No. 1 court.
-Noelle Mauro beat Leslie Soto 6-2, 6-4 at No. 6 to tie the match 2-2.
-Herrero moved MTSU back in front with a 6-0, 6-4 decision over Pasanen at No. 4.
-Takanishi defeated Burrows after dropping the opening set on Court No. 3, 3-6, 7-5, 6-4, before Monsalve capped the comeback with a 4-6, 7-6, 7-5 win at No. 5 over Gupta.
NOTES
-The win ended a two-match losing streak for the Jaguars, and was their first of the spring season.
-Monsalve won her second straight singles match in as many days at the No. 5 position.
-Fujioka improves to 2-1 in singles play at the No. 1 position this spring.
-The singles win was the first this spring and fourth this season for Kohoutova.
-Takanishi won two of her three singles matches over the weekend, with the victory on Sunday her first at the No. 3 position since USA defeated Grambling on Jan. 26 last spring.
THEY SAID IT
Head coach Jaco Keyser
-On the win against Middle Tennessee: "This was a solid win over an MTSU team that has gotten us a few times in a row. It was one of the bigger team comebacks I have been part of in a while, this should help us continue to build our competitive identity as we move forward. Our execution of the fundamentals and game plans and quality of play needs to improve, but I am extremely encouraged by the way the girls are engaging from a mental standpoint. I felt like we improved with every match this weekend, if we continue to mentally grind like this on a day-to-day basis and keep improving a little each day then I am convinced we will make a good run at defending our Sun Belt Conference crown. There is a long way to go, but I am looking forward to getting back out on the practice courts."
Up Next: The Jaguars will play their first home match of the season Thursday against West Alabama.
For more information about South Alabama athletics, check back with www.usajaguars.com, and follow the Jaguars at www.twitter.com/WeAreSouth_JAGS. Season tickets for all Jaguar athletic events can be purchased by calling (251) 461-1USA (1872).
Join the Baseline Club, the tennis-specific support club of the Jaguar Athletic Fund. All donations to the Baseline Club go directly to support the South Alabama men's and women's tennis programs. For more information on how you can join visit: http://jaguarathleticfund.com/baselineclub
—USA—
