WICHITA FALLS, Texas – No. 34 ranked Midwestern State won the doubles point in nine consecutive dual matches. Lubbock Christian ended the streak, but the Mustangs recovered and won all six singles matches at MSU Tennis Center on Friday afternoon. Midwestern State also rebounded from its 4-3 loss at Angelo State last week to defeat the Lady Chaps, 6-1.
The Mustangs are 10-5 overall this season and improved their conference record to 2-1. Lubbock Christian falls to 10-5 and is 3-2 against Lone Star Conference competition.
Midwestern State remains undefeated at home with a 5-0 record and has only conceded three dual-match points on home ground this spring.
Camila Garcia was on a rollercoaster ride against the Lady Chaps. The sophomore from Colombia won her singles match over Oshini Herath 6-0, 2-6, 6-0. The victory followed a 6-4 loss in doubles to Herath and Alexandra Luders.
It appeared as though Garcia and
Jasmine Crain would post a 15th straight victory when they established a 4-0 lead before losing six consecutive games at No. 2 doubles.
Alessia Dolce and
Hattie Berend extended their doubles winning streak to seven matches with a thrilling, 7-6 (3) win over Kristel Jativa and Sofia Valero Trevin. The Mustangs duo reeled off four straight points to win the tiebreak at No. 3 doubles.
Andrea De Bernardo and AnaMaria Zoric, No. 12 in the ITA doubles rankings for NCAA Division II doubles pairings, won a tightly contested match with ninth-ranked
Emilia Gyorgy and
Selin Sepken, 7-5, to give LCU the early 1-0 lead.
Sepken and Gyorgy have lost their first three doubles matches in conference play — all to ranked opponents — and fell to 9-6 for the season.
Dolce improved to 4-0 in singles matches at MSU Tennis Center with a 6-4, 7-6 (2) win over Jativa at No. 4 singles. The sophomore from Italy is 7-6 in singles this season.
No. 6-ranked Sepken improved to 4-1 in three-set matches this season by defeating Andrea De Bernardo, 4-6, 6-0, 6-2. In all four of her three-set victories this season, Sepken dropped the opening set and rallied for the victory at No. 1 singles. The transfer from Idaho improved her record to 11-1 and extended her winning streak to six matches.
Gyorgy was trailing 4-1 to AnaMaria Zoric in the third set but rallied for a 4-6, 7-6 (2), 7-5 victory at No. 2 singles to clinch the dual match victory for the Mustangs.
Gyorgy won for the seventh time in her last eight starts, improving to 3-2 in three-set matches and 5-0 at MSU Tennis Center this season. The freshman from Hungary is 10-5 overall in singles.
Crain was impressive at No. 5 singles, using a variety of shots to defeat Sofia Valero Trevin, 6-3, 6-1. The freshman from Edmond, Oklahoma, is 2-1 in conference play and 3-1 at home for the Mustangs. She won five of her last seven completed matches, and she held the lead over Vict Ricaurte-Cabas of Hawaii Hilo when the match was abandoned. Crain is 4-3 at No. 5 singles.
Berend improved to 2-1 in conference play with a come-from-behind 1-6, 7-5, (10-8) victory over Aitanna Moreno Villa at No. 6 singles. The Wichita Falls native is 3-1 in home duals for the Mustangs and 6-6 in singles this spring.
Midwestern State returns to MSU Tennis Center for a dual match with UT Permian Basin at 10 a.m. on Sunday morning.
-- MSUMustangs.com --
