LAS CRUCES, N.M. - Abilene Christian's women's tennis team staged a dramatic comeback victory Sunday, rallying from a 3-2 deficit during singles play to defeat host New Mexico State, 4-3, at its on-campus tennis center.
The Wildcats' triumph was their third of the weekend and improved their season record to 7-2. The win also gave ACU a men's and women's sweep of their competition today as the guys (5-6) made quick work of Western New Mexico, 4-0.
After winning the doubles point in three closely contested matches, the Wildcats dropped three of their first four singles matches at the No. 1, 4 and 6 positions. But in between those defeats, junior
Brittney Reed was able to come back from a set down to beat Chloe Jolliff at the No. 2 spot, 3-6, 6-0, 6-4, which presented ACU with a fighting chance with the No. 3 and 5 matches still up for grabs.
Sophomore
Nada Marjanovic was the next to win, edging Annemieke Witte, 7-6, 7-6, at No. 5 for her third consecutive win this weekend which lifted her season mark to 9-2.
As Marjanovic was finishing her match,
Erin Walker was tied at 4-4 in her third set at No. 3 vs. Denise Van Der Ben. The freshman responded to the challenge by winning the next two games (4-6, 6-2, 6-4) to clinch the team victory and improve to 5-2 at the No. 3 position.
"That was a tough win for us," said head coach
Hutton Jones, "but I'm glad to see the girls rewarded for all their hard work. This was a very satisfying victory knowing we needed to win those last two matches against strong opposition."
In doubles action, the No. 1 and 2 teams of Micah and
Kaysie Hermsdorf and Reed and Walker each won 8-6, while Marjanovic and senior
Emily Conrad lost 8-7. The Hermsdorf sisters are now 8-0 at No. 1 this spring, while the other two teams are a combined 12-6.
The men's victory over Western New Mexico wasn't as dramatic as the ladies, but was equally important as it snapped a two-match losing streak.
ACU earned the doubles point behind a pair of 8-5 wins at No. 2 and 3 doubles by
Nico Agritelley and Guilhereme Gesser, and
Michael Morris and
Jason Proctor.
Gesser, Proctor and Agritelley then defeated their singles' opposition in straight sets at the No. 3-5 positions to clinch the dual. Matches at 1, 2 and 6 were left unfinished even though the Wildcats were leading at each spot.
The Wildcats' women's team returns to action Tuesday, March 4 at home for its first Southland Conference match of the season vs. Northwestern State at 12 p.m.
The men are off until the weekend of March 8-9 when they play host to Cleveland State and Incarnate Word at the Eager Tennis Pavilion.
Abilene Christian 4, New Mexico State 3
Feb 23, 2014 at Las Cruces, N.M. (NM State Tennis Center)
Singles competition
1. Alcaraz, Susana (NMS) def.
Micah Hermsdorf (ACU) 6-4, 6-4
2.
Brittney Reed (ACU) def. Jolliff, Chloe (NMS) 3-6, 6-0, 6-4
3.
Erin Walker (ACU) def. Van Der Ben, Denise (NMS) 4-6, 6-2, 6-4
4. Shrivastava, Ashvary (NMS) def.
Kaysie Hermsdorf (ACU) 6-4, 6-2
5.
Nada Marjanovic (ACU) def. Witte, Annemieke (NMS) 7-6, 7-6
6. Collens, Brittany (NMS) def.
Emily Conrad (ACU) 6-3, 7-5
Doubles competition
1.
Micah Hermsdorf/
Kaysie Hermsdorf (ACU) def. Nguyen, Ros-Polly/Collens, Brittany (NMS) 8-6
2.
Brittney Reed/
Erin Walker (ACU) def. Alcaraz, Susana/Van Der Ben, Denise (NMS) 8-6
3. Witte, Annemieke/Shrivastava, Ashvary (NMS) def.
Emily Conrad/
Nada Marjanovic (ACU) 8-7
Match Notes
Abilene Christian 7-2
New Mexico State 4-5
Abilene Christian 4, Western New Mexico 0
Feb 23, 2014 at Las Cruces New Mexico (NM State Tennis Center)
Singles competition
1. Rodrigo Almeida (WNMU) vs. Borja Cortés (ACU) 6-7, 3-5, unfinished
2. Alvaro Nunez (WNMU) vs.
Nicklas Wingord (ACU) 2-6, 3-4, unfinished
3.
Guilherme Gesser (ACU) def. Juan Pablo Fuentes (WNMU) 6-3, 6-0
4.
Jason Proctor (ACU) def. JeanLaurent Pageault (WNMU) 6-4, 6-2
5.
Nico Agritelley (ACU) def. Francisco Damasio (WNMU) 6-1, 6-2
6. Sascha Brechtel (WNMU) vs.
Marco Bensley (ACU) 4-6, 3-3, unfinished
Doubles competition
1. Juan Pablo Fuentes/Rodrigo Almeida (WNMU) def.
Nicklas Wingord/Borja Cortés (ACU) 8-4
2.
Nico Agritelley/
Guilherme Gesser (ACU) def. Francisco Damasio/Alvaro Nunez (WNMU) 8-5
3.
Michael Morris/
Jason Proctor (ACU) def. JeanLaurent Pageault/Omar Lopez (WNMU) 8-5
Match Notes
Abilene Christian 5-6
Western New Mexico 4-2
