Pothier and Williams keep winning streaks alive in 5-2 victory vs. UCA

Women's Tennis | 4/9/2016 2:50:00 PM

ABILENE - Sophomores Lucile Pothier and Whitney Williams were a combined 4-0 Saturday morning with wins in singles and doubles, carrying Abilene Christian women's tennis to a 5-2 victory over Central Arkansas on the indoor courts of the Teague Events Center.

The Wildcats are now 18-6 overall and 8-0 at home. They also improved to 8-2 within the Southland Conference to remain a game ahead of New Orleans and McNeese for second place.

The loss dropped Central Arkansas' overall and league records to 13-8 and 5-6, but the Bears are much better than their conference record would indicate and they challenged the Wildcats at several positions throughout doubles and singles.

ACU held on to win the doubles point as Pothier and senior Kaysie Hermsdorf edged the No. 2 Central Arkansas team of QiLi Ma and Rada Manataweewat, 6-4. This win came after ACU's No. 3 tandem of Nada Marjanovic and Andrea Crook fell 6-1 to Krizia Buck and Amiru Shimoguchi. Fortunately, ACU's No. 1's of Williams and junior Erin Walker started the dual with a 6-0 shutout of  Xylia Chunan Xiang and Marli Van Heerden.

Walker again would beat Chunan Xiang at the top line, 7-5, 6-4, for her 12th win of the spring that gave the Wildcats a 2-1 lead. Pothier then triumphed in three sets over Ma, 7-5, 1-6, 6-1, to keep her Southland undefeated streak alive at 10 matches (10-0) and her overall win streak at 14.

Pothier's victory also was her 20th of the season (20-6), and Marjanovic (20-5) tied her for the team lead after topping Van Heerden 6-2, 6-2, at No. 4 for the match-clinching point.

Williams scored the Wildcats' fifth and final point, overcoming a disappointing second-set loss to Manataweewat with a third-set super tiebreak score of 10-6. Williams is 10-0 vs. the league and her win streak of 11 is second on the team only to Pothier.

The Wildcats return to action this Wednesday for a 5 p.m. men's and women's doubleheader vs. their old DII rivals from Midwestern State.
 

---

Abilene Christian 5, Central Arkansas 2
Apr 09, 2016 at Abilene, Texas (Teague Events Center)

Singles competition
1. Erin Walker (ACU) def. Xylia Chunan Xiang (UCA) 7-5, 6-4
2. Amiru Shimoguchi (UCA) def. Kaysie Hermsdorf (ACU) 6-3, 0-6, 6-4
3. Lucile Pothier (ACU) def. QiLi Ma (UCA) 7-5, 1-6, 6-1
4. Nada Marjanovic (ACU) def. Marli Van Heerden (UCA) 6-2, 6-2
5. Whitney Williams (ACU) def. Rada Manataweewat (UCA) 6-2, 1-6, 10-6
6. Krizia Buck (UCA) def. Jordan Henry (ACU) 6-0, 6-2

Doubles competition
1. Erin Walker/Whitney Williams (ACU) def. Xylia Chunan Xiang/Marli Van Heerden (UCA) 6-0
2. Lucile Pothier/Kaysie Hermsdorf (ACU) def. QiLi Ma/Rada Manataweewat (UCA) 6-4
3. Krizia Buck/Amiru Shimoguchi (UCA) def. Nada Marjanovic/Andrea Crook (ACU) 6-1

Match Notes
Central Arkansas 13-8 (5-6)
Abilene Christian 18-6 (8-2)
Order of finish: Doubles (1,3,2); Singles (2,1,3,4,6,5)