SAN ANTONIO -- No. 5-ranked Midwestern State earned its first ever dual-match victory at Rohrbach Stadium Tennis Complex and is 2-0 in the Lone Star Conference after a decisive 6-1 win over St. Mary's on Friday afternoon.
The Mustangs, who lost their first four visits to St. Mary's, ended the Rattlers' five-dual winning streak and improved to 9-3 overall this season. St. Mary's lost its conference opener and fell to 6-4 for the season.
Midwestern State won all six singles matches, including three matches that were extended to three sets.
No. 38-ranked
Jessica Binzari and No. 66
Anda Ghinga posted straight-set wins at No. 1 and No. 2 singles to give Midwestern State the lead after dropping the doubles point.
Ghinga made her second appearance at No. 2 singles and won her 12th consecutive singles match for the Mustangs. The undefeated junior from Romania pasted No. 11-ranked freshman Selina Wu, 6-2, 6-3. Ghinga has 10 wins in the No. 3 position this spring.
Binzari enjoyed a routine 6-3, 6-3 victory over Paula Garrote, a junior transfer from Abilene Christian. Binzari snapped a four-match losing streak at No. 1 singles and improved to 4-6 this season.
Sydney Williams put Midwestern State in a commanding position with a come-from-behind victory at No. 6 singles. The junior from Austin, Texas, stormed to a 5-7, 6-0, 6-2 win over freshman Janel Ospanova to give the Mustangs a 3-1 lead in the dual match.
Hannah Yip, ranked No. 32 among NCAA Division II singles players, also rallied and clinched the dual-match victory for the Mustangs with a 4-6, 6-4, 6-3 conquest of junior Karen Kondo at No. 3 singles. The left-handed junior from Malaysia is 4-0 in three-set matches and snapped a three-match losing streak, improving to 7-5 for the season.
Senior
Skylar Minns outdueled Stela Sifuentes and scored a 7-6 (5), 6-4 victory. The senior from Aransas Pass, Texas, has opened conference play with back-to-back wins at No. 5 singles and improved to 6-5 for the Mustangs.
Sofia Giraldo completed the sweep of singles matches for the Stang Gang with a 6-3, 4-6, 7-6 (3) win over sophomore Alessia Terlizzi. The freshman from Colombia has won six of her last seven matches and improved to 8-3 overall with seven wins in the No. 4 position.
The Rattlers won the doubles point for the ninth time in 10 dual matches this season and swept MSU in three tightly contested matches.
Kondo and Wu defeated Binzari and Ghinga at No. 1 doubles, 6-4. Garrote and Terlizzi outlasted Yip and
Sarah Mazaraki at No. 2 doubles, 7-6 (4). Ospanova and Sifuentes knocked off Giraldo and Williams at No. 3 doubles, 6-4.
Binzari and Ghinga won four of their previous five doubles matches but fell to 6-4 for the season. Mazaraki and Yip saw a five-match winning streak snapped and are 7-2 after the loss. Williams and Giraldo have alternated wins and losses in their last six appearances and fell to 3-5 for the campaign.
Midwestern State plays its final non-conference dual match of the regular season on Tuesday, when Colorado State-Pueblo visits MSU Tennis Center at 2 p.m.
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--MSUMustangs.com--
