Lady Dogs Drop Tough 5-2 Decision To No. 11 Kentucky
May 25, 2016 | Women's Tennis
STARKVILLE, Miss. -- The Mississippi State women's tennis team dropped a hard-fought 5-2 decision to 11th-ranked Kentucky Sunday afternoon at the A.J. Pitts Tennis Centre on the MSU campus.
The Lady Bulldogs (4-9, 0-4 SEC) picked up big wins at the No. 1 and No. 6 positions in singles, but the Wildcats (11-3, 2-3 SEC) clinched the match with three quick wins to open singles action.
Senior Carole Soubis knocked off her highest-ranked opponent of the season as she earned a straight-set victory over 26th-ranked Carolina Mayorga at the No. 1 spot. Soubis rolled to a 6-1 win in the opening set, and the two players traded service games in the second. Trailing 6-5 in the second set, Soubis forced a tiebreak and eventually took the set and the win with a 7-5 triumph in the tiebreak.
Sophomore Justyna Switala claimed the other win for head coach Tracy Lane's Lady Dogs, as she knocked off Danielle Petrisko 6-3, 7-5.
"Justyna (Switala) played a great match today," Lane said. "She really needed a win, and she came out and played a solid match."
Despite the pair of wins, State was unable to hold on after UK picked up the early momentum with the doubles win.
UK's duo of Petrisko and Amy Trefethen rolled to an 8-1 win at No. 3 over Justyna Switala and Yumi Ueda, and the Cats then clinched the 1-0 edge with a hard-fought win at No. 2. Leigh Bradwell and Lauren Rookledge fell behind early to Soubis and Elaine Fagan, but the UK duo battled back to take an 8-6 win and the opening point. Kentucky finished the doubles sweep at No. 1, as fourth-ranked Sarah Witten and Carolina Mayorga took an 8-2 win over Magdolna Rekasi and Camila Sagae.
Kentucky took a 2-0 lead very quickly in singles, as Rookledge knocked off Rekasi at No. 3 6-0, 6-4. Amy Trefethen put UK one point away from clinching the match with a 6-1, 6-3 win over Fagan at the No. 4 spot.
No. 41 Sarah Witten had a vigorous battle to win the match for Kentucky, as she fell behind early to Camila Sagae at No. 2. Witten rallied, however, and went on to win in straight sets, 6-3, 6-2.
Following wins by Soubis and Switala, sophomore Yumi Ueda looked to claim a win over Leigh Bradwell at the No. 5 position. Ueda lost the opening set 7-6 in a tiebreak, but the Hyogo, Japan, native bounced back to take a 6-4 win in the second set and force the deciding third. Bradwell played solidly in the third to hold on for a 7-6 (5), 4-6, 6-1 win.
"I thought we showed more intensity today," Lane said. "We did some things well out there today, but we are still making too many errors. In this league, you have to be consistent."
The Lady Dogs return to action Friday, opening a four-match road swing with Alabama.
#11 KENTUCKY 5, #67 MISSISSIPPI STATE 2
March 10, 2002; Starkville, Miss.
Doubles -- #4 Carolina Mayorga/Sarah Witten (UK) d. Magdolna Rekasi/Carole Soubis (MSU) 8-2; Leigh Bradwell/Lauren Rookledge (UK) d. Elaine Fagan/Carole Soubis (MSU) 8-6; Danielle Petrisko/Amy Trefethen (UK) d. Justyna Switala/Yumi Ueda (MSU) 8-1.
Singles -- Soubis (MSU) d. #26 Mayorga (UK) 6-1, 7-6 (5); #41 Witten (UK) d. Sagae (MSU) 6-3, 6-2; Rookledge (UK) d. Rekasi (MSU) 6-0, 6-4; Trefethen (UK) d. Fagan (MSU) 6-1, 6-3; Bradwell (UK) d. Ueda (MSU) 7-6 (5), 4-6, 6-1; Switala (MSU) d. Petrisko (UK) 6-3, 7-5.
