OXFORD, Miss. - The University of South Alabama women’s tennis team opened the season on Friday with the Fourth Annual Ole Miss Fall Classic at the Palmer/Salloum Tennis Center in Oxford, Miss.
Doubles action kicked off the day with Lady Jag netters Michaela Babicova and Dijana Stanic falling to the Louisiana-Lafayette duo of Tammy Day and Chanell Meijer, 8-5. The Babicova/Stanic duo came back in the consolation round to dominate the Southern Illinois team of Ame Blacketer and Sabine Tsala, 8-0.
The second doubles match saw the Lady Jags’ Adrianna Solarova and Sylvanie Spangenberg, who are seeded third in the tournament, outlast the Southern Mississippi duo of Brittany Serret and Ali Blackett, 8-6. The Jag doubles team then defeated the fourth seeded Murray State team of Casady Pruitt and Angela McGahee, 8-4.
In the Red Draw singles action Jelena Kricacevic, seeded fourth in singles play, was defeated by Arkansas-Little Rock junior Laetitia Bourgeon, 6-3 before retiring from competition in the tournament. Sophomore Michaela Babicova drew the tournaments second seeded Georgia Bulldog Lara Fakhoury and captured a three set win, 6-4, 4-6, 6-3.
In the White Draw singles, Lady Jag Sylvanie Spangenberg drew the number one seeded position, but was defeated by Troy junior Suzanne Jones, 6-7(5), 6-1, 6-7(5).
Solarova, the second seed in the Blue Draw singles bracket won in straight sets over Murray State sophomore Anna Lask, 6-2, 7-5. Dijana Stanic dropped a straight set decision to Southern Illinois’ Ame Blacketer, 6-3, 7-5.
In the Red Draw, the split doubles team of Krivacevic and Troy sophomore Claudia Strauss defeated the Middle Tennessee duo of Pooja Kommireddi and Marlene Chemin, 8-0. The USA/Troy team then defeated the second seeded Sherry Price and Grace Kammerer of Southern Mississippi, 8-4.
