HAMMOND, La. - Abilene Christian's women's tennis team won its sixth straight match and improved to 11-2 overall and 3-0 against the Southland Conference Thursday following its 5-2 win at Southeastern Louisiana.
The Wildcats began their Spring Break last Saturday with a down-to-the-wire 4-3 win over Cleveland State, but since Sunday they've beaten league foes Incarnate Word, New Orleans and Southeastern Louisiana by a combined score of 17-4.
Even though ACU won by three points, the team victory did not come easy as all three doubles pairings had to battle back from significant deficits before winning in a tiebreaker. The No. 1 team of sisters Micah and
Kaysie Hermsdorf were down 3-0 at one point, while the No. 2 duo of
Brittney Reed and
Erin Walker trailed 4-0. And at No. 3, Wildcats
Emily Conrad and
Nada Marjanovic had to win five of the last six points in order to flip a 6-3 deficit into an 8-7 (6) triumph.
ACU won all 12 of its doubles matches this week in raising its season record to 31-6 (.838). The Hermsdorf sisters remain undefeated in dual competition at 12-0. Meanwhile, Reed and Walker are 10-3, and Conrad and Marjanovic are 9-3.
The Wildcats soon pushed their lead to 3-0 over the Lions as Marjanovic and Conrad scored consecutive straight set victories over their opposition at the No. 5 and 6 positions. Marjanovic recorded her seventh straight win and 13th of the year in beating Margaux Kaltenbacher, 6-1, 6-3, and at No. 6, Conrad won her fourth straight in defeating Avika Sagwal, 6-3, 6-4.
Things then stared to turn in the Lions' favor as they trimmed ACU's lead to 3-2 with back-to-back decisions at No. 3 and 1.
Kaysie Hermsdorf lost 6-3, 7-5 to Valya Rusakova at the third position, while her older sister, Micah dropped a tough match to Renee Villarreal, 7-5, 7-6 (6).
Southeastern wouldn't get any closer, however, as junior
Brittney Reed held off Nastya Tokareva at No. 2 in three sets, 7-6, 4-6, 6-1, to clinch the match, and freshman
Erin Walker soon followed with a 5-7, 7-5, 6-3 win over Reginka Nychytailov at No. 4.
Through 13 dual matches this spring, ACU's combined singles record is 49-29 (.628).
Abilene Christian 5, Southeastern La. 2
Mar 13, 2014 at Hammond, La. (Southeastern Tennis Complex)
Singles competition
1. Renee Villarreal (SLU) def.
Micah Hermsdorf (ACU) 7-5, 7-6 (8-6)
2.
Brittney Reed (ACU) def. Nastya Tokareva (SLU) 7-6, 4-6, 6-1
3. Valya Rusakova (SLU) def.
Kaysie Hermsdorf (ACU) 6-3, 7-5
4.
Erin Walker (ACU) def. Reginka Nychytailova (SLU) 5-7, 7-5, 6-3
5.
Nada Marjanovic (ACU) def. Margaux Kaltenbacher (SLU) 6-1, 6-3
6.
Emily Conrad (ACU) def. Avika Sagwal (SLU) 6-3, 6-4
Doubles competition
1.
Micah Hermsdorf/
Kaysie Hermsdorf (ACU) def. Renee Villarreal/Valya Rusakova (SLU) 8-7 (8-5)
2.
Brittney Reed/
Erin Walker (ACU) def. Adriana Castillo/Reginka Nychytailova (SLU) 8-7 (10-8)
3.
Emily Conrad/
Nada Marjanovic (ACU) def. Margaux Kaltenbacher/Nastya Tokareva (SLU) 8-7 (8-6)
Match Notes
Abilene Christian 11-2, 3-0 SLC
Southeastern La. 6-2, 2-1 SLC
