ABILENE – Abilene Christian women's tennis won its fourth-straight game in its series vs. Lamar Saturday at the Eager Tennis Center after junior
Whitney Williams pulled out an incredible 5-7, 6-3, 7-5 comeback victory over Anna Spengler at the No. 2 line.
Williams started the decisive set down 30-0 with Spengler serving, but managed to score four of the next five points to send the Wildcats to their seventh victory over their last eight duals. ACU is now 9-4 (1-1 Southland) on the spring, while Lamar fell to 5-3 (1-1 Southland) with their winning streak snapped at four matches.
Williams' victory kept her individual winning streak alive at eight matches as she improved to 11-4 overall. She and
Erin Walker also were victorious at No. 1 doubles, 6-1, vs. Katya Lapayeva and Spengler, while at the No. 2 line, junior
Lucile Pothier and freshman Sarah Eleanor Adams defeated Talisa Merchiers and Stephanie Marchena, 6-2.
After earning the doubles point, the Wildcats kept exchanging points with the Cardinals through the six singles matches. Lamar's Hanna Elfving tied the score at 1-1 with her win at No. 6 over
Autumn Crossnoe, 6-3, 6-2, but then the Wildcats went ahead once more with Pothier defeating Jasmin Buchta, 6-2, 6-3, at the No. 3 line, and Adams topping Merchiers, 6-1, 6-2 at No. 4.
Adams' win was her 11th of the spring in keeping her tied with Williams for the team lead and gave ACU a 3-1 lead that would disappear too soon as the Wildcats dropped consecutive matches at No. 5 and 1. Sanja Jolic beat
Jordan Henry, 6-3, 7-5, at No. 5 to make it a 3-2 game, and then Lapayeva tied the team score following her, 7-5, 6-2 decision at No. 1 over Walker.
All the attention was then focused on Williams' court at No. 2 and she rallied to beat Spengler with a decidedly home court advantage as the entire men's team, plus friends, family and fans stayed around after the men beat Georgia Southern earlier today, 4-3.
Alumna Micha Hermsdorf and Emily Conrad also were in attendance today to see the victory. In fact, it was as a senior that Conrad beat Spengler at the No. 6 line, 6-7, 6-2, 6-2, during the 2014 meeting between the Wildcats and Lamar in Beaumont, Texas. ACU won that first-ever meeting, 4-3, which also included a No. 1 line win for Hermsdorf over Dariya Dashutina, 6-4, 1-6, 6-3.
The Wildcats return to action Sunday at 1 p.m. vs. Sam Houston State. The men begin their match vs. Idaho at 11 a.m.
Abilene Christian 4, Lamar University 3
Mar 11, 2017 at Abilene, Texas (Eager Tennis Center)
Singles competition
1. Katya Lapayeva (LU-W) def.
Erin Walker (ACU) 7-5, 6-2
2.
Whitney Williams (ACU) def. Anna Spengler (LU-W) 5-7, 6-3, 7-5
3.
Lucile Pothier (ACU) def. Jasmin Buchta (LU-W) 6-2, 6-3
4. Sarah Adams (ACU) def. Talisa Merchiers (LU-W) 6-1, 6-2
5. Sanja Jolic (LU-W) def.
Jordan Henry (ACU) 6-3, 7-5
6. Hanna Elfving (LU-W) def.
Autumn Crossnoe (ACU) 6-3, 6-2
Doubles competition
1.
Whitney Williams/
Erin Walker (ACU) def. Katya Lapayeva/Anna Spengler (LU-W) 6-1
2.
Lucile Pothier/Sarah Adams (ACU) def. Talisa Merchiers/Stephanie Marchena (LU-W) 6-2
3. Hanna Elfving/Jasmin Buchta (LU-W) def.
Jordan Henry/
Ansley Boarman (ACU) 6-3
Match Notes
Lamar University 5-3 (1-1 SLC)
Abilene Christian 9-4 (1-1 SLC)
Order of finish: Doubles (1,3,2); Singles (6,3,4,5,1,2)
