AUBURN, Ala. ? Mississippi State's women's tennis team fell to #41 Auburn 5-2 on Sunday on the road. The Lady Bulldogs dropped to 5-5 overall with the loss and 0-4 in league play. Auburn improved to 11-3, 3-1.
Auburn started the match off strong with back-to-back wins in doubles to take a 1-0 lead. On court No. 1, the 45th-ranked MSU duo of Martina Banikova and Elna de Villiers fell to Auburn's 47th-ranked tandem of Alex Haney and Melissa Koning 8-4. Then, on court No. 2, MSU's Radka Ferancova and Renee Joseph fell to Gaby Beelen and Jil Hastenrath 8-6. To finish off doubles, State's Valeriya Makarycheva and DeAndra Saddler defeated Fani Chifchieva and Dunja Djuranovic 8-7.
In singles play, Auburn took a 3-0 match lead with two straight-set victories in the first two matches completed. On court No. 2, Haney defeated Joseph 6-1, 6-0. Beelen then posted a 6-0, 6-2 victory over State's DeAndra Saddler at the No. 5 position.
The match-clincher would come at No. 3, where Auburn's Koning defeated MSU's Ferancova 6-3, 6-1. Auburn would then extend the lead to 5-0 when the Lady Bulldogs' Banikova was defeated 6-2, 6-2 by the 24th-ranked Chihchieva on court No. 1.
Mississippi State would close out the match with singles victories on the last two courts. On court No. 6, Makarycheva claimed victory over Djuranovic 6-2, 6-2 and de Villiers finished off a win over Hastenrath, 6-4, 6-4 at No. 4.
Mississippi State will next play this Wednesday, March 12, when they face Eastern Illinois in Gulf Shores, Ala. at 11 a.m. CT.
#41 Auburn 5, Mississippi State 2
March 9, 2008 ? Auburn, Ala.
DOUBLES ? #47 Alex Haney/Melissa Koning (AU) def. #45 Martina Banikova/Elna de Villiers (MSU) 8-4; Gaby Beelen/Jil Hastenrath (AU) def. Radka Ferancova/Renee Joseph (MSU) 8-6; Daniela Juskova/ Valeriya Makarycheva (MSU) def. Fani Chifchieva/Dunja Djuranovic 8-7.
SINGLES ? #24 Chifchieva (AU) def. Banikova (MSU) 6-2, 6-2; Haney (AU) def Joseph (MSU) 6-1, 6-0; Koning (AU) def. Ferancova (MSU) 6-3, 6-1; de Villiers (MSU) def. Hastenrath (AU) 6-4, 6-4; Beelen (AU) def. DeAndra Saddler (MSU) 6-0, 6-2; Makarycheva (MSU) def. Djuranovic (AU) 6-2, 6-2.
(numbers preceding names are current national rankings)
