Wildcats fall to top-10 foes

Thursday, April 1

Montgomery, Ala.

10:00 AM

Abilene Christian

Barry (Fla.)

4/2/2010 1:06:30 AM | Women's Tennis

MONTGOMERY, Ala. -- The seventh-ranked ACU Wildcats had a rough day on the courts Thursday as they dropped a pair of matches to two top-10 opponents on the first day of the Blue-Gray Classic at the Lagoon Park Tennis Center.

The Wildcats (20-5) lost to fourth-ranked Barry (Fla.) University, 7-2, early Thursday afternoon before dropping a gut-wrenching 5-4 decision to 10th-ranked West Florida late Thursday night. ACU will be back in action Friday at 10 a.m. against the hosts from Auburn-Montgomery, the No. 1-ranked team in NAIA.

Barry blitzed the Wildcats from the outset, taking two of three doubles matches and five of six singles matches to take the win. ACU's only two wins came at No. 2 doubles where Cassie Carver and Hannah Kelley beat the team of Julie Stas and Caroline Wendling, 9-7, and at No. 5 singles where Carver beat Mia Fiocca, 6-2, 6-2.

The late Thursday match against West Florida had a post-season feel to it, ACU head coach Hutton Jones said, and both teams rose to the occasion.

The Wildcats trailed 2-1 after doubles, but that one win came at No. 1 where Jaclyn Walker and Julia Mongin teamed to knock off Taylor Brewster and Caitlyn Baines, 9-7. ACU won three singles matches at No. 2 (Mongin), NO. 4 (Carver) and No. 6 (Natalie Friend), but couldn't covercome the loss in doubles.

"The match against West Floida was the type of match you see at the national tournament, and we got to experience it a month or so before nationals," Jones said. "I'd love to have a chance to play them again at the national tournament. I'm not saying we'd go out and beat them, but I'd like to have another crack at them. This was a close match, just like it's supposed to when two top-10 teams battle. We just couldn't quite recover from being down 2-1 after doubles."

No. 4 Barry (Fla.) 7, No. 7 Abilene Christian 2
Singles
1. Barbi Pocza, BU, def. Jaclyn Walker, ACU, 2-6, 6-1, 6-0
2. Angie Werschel, BU, def. Miss Monyin, ACU, 6-2, 6-1
3. Yulia Kashelkina, BU, def. Dina Pavlin, ACU, 6-1, 6-2
4. Caroline Wendling, BU, def. Hannah Kelley, ACU, 6-0, 6-1
5. Cassie Carver, ACU, def. Mia Fiocca, BU, 6-2, 6-2
6. Berit Peterson, BU, def. Natalie Friend, ACU, 6-2, 6-3

Doubles
1. Pocza-Kashelkina, BU, def. Walker-Monyin, ACU, 8-4
2. Kelley-Carver, ACU, def. Julie Stas-Caroline Wendling, BU, 9-7
3. Fiocca-Werschel, BU, def. Pavlin-Lauren White, ACU, 8-2

No. 10 West Florida 5, No. 7 Abilene Christian 4
Singles
1. Barbara Oliveira, UWF, def. Jaclyn Walker, ACU, 7-6, 6-3
2. Julia Mongin, ACU, def. Paulina Ojeda, UWF, 6-2, 2-6, 6-1
3. Taylor Brewster, WUF, def. Dina Pavlin, 6-1, 6-7, 7-6
4. Cassie Carver, ACU, def. Caitlyn Baines, UWF, 4-6, 6-2, 6-1
5. Luiza Sonnervig, UWF, def. Hannah Kelley, ACU, 6-3, 6-1
6. Natalie Friend, ACU, def. Mariana Sonnervig, UWF, 3-6, 6-3, 6-4

Doubles
1. Walker-Mongin, ACU, def. Brewster-Baines, UWF, 9-7
2. Ojeda-L. Sonnervig, UWF, def. Carver-Kelley, ACU, 8-6
3. Oliveira-M. Sonnervig, UWF, def. Pavlin-White, ACU, 8-6