MSU Women’s Tennis Shocks No. 2 Vanderbilt, 4-3

Thursday, March 15

Starkville

3:00 PM

Mississippi State

Vanderbilt

For the second time in as many matches, junior Anastasia Rentouli went the distance, this time to clinch State's 4-3 upset of No. 2 Vanderbilt.

Photo by: Trevor Birchett/MSU Athletics

MSU Women’s Tennis Shocks No. 2 Vanderbilt, 4-3

March 15, 2018 | Women's Tennis

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Anastasia Rentouli's match-clinching point to upset No. 2 Vanderbilt

STARKVILLE, Miss. – Despite dropping doubles and later going down 3-2 in the match, the Mississippi State women's tennis team (11-5, 2-3 SEC) fought back for a memorable 4-3 upset of No. 2 Vanderbilt (11-3, 4-1) Thursday afternoon in front of the home crowd at the A.J. Pitts Tennis Centre. The triumph marked the highest-ranked win in MSU Tennis history (men's or women's).

The victory also snapped a 32-match Commodore win streak in the series and was the first State triumph against VU since 1991.

For the second consecutive outing, State's match would be decided on court 4, with the score tied at 3-3, and junior Anastasia Rentouli holding the Bulldogs' fate on her racquet in a deciding third set.

Rentouli led 4-0 in the third when all other matches had finished, but Vanderbilt's 98^th-ranked Amanda Meyer battled back to establish a 6-5 lead and served for the match. Much like MSU's 4-3 win at Alabama Saturday, Rentouli's teammates cheered her on once again, and the Athens, Greece, product broke Meyer at love to force a deciding tiebreak.

Rentouli built a 3-1 lead in the breaker early, but once again Meyer battled back. The players went back and forth and Rentouli found herself leading 6-5 and serving. On a final point that was very indicative of how the entire match went, the players exchanged a 39-shot rally before Rentouli drilled a backhand winner down the line to hold serve and post a marathon 7-5, 6-3, 7-6(5) match-clinching victory.

That victory was preceded by an equally tough and important win from senior Khrystyna Vozniak at the No. 6 position. Vozniak went the distance in two tiebreaks for a straight-set 7-6(5), 7-6(8) triumph against Vandy's Emily Smith to knot the match at 3-all. Smith served the second set at 6-5, but Vozniak rallied to force the decisive and critical second tiebreak to the outcome of the match.

"I have been saying each week how proud I am of how these girls battle," head coach Daryl Greenan said. "Their commitment paid off in a big way today. We will enjoy this win today and then we have to get ready for another battle Saturday. This league is extremely tough and we will continue to fight one match at a time."

To open the afternoon's action, the Commodores outlasted the Bulldogs in doubles for the early 1-0 lead. On court 1, VU's Amanda Meyer and Astra Sharma defeated State's Madison Harrison and Vozniak 6-3. Evening things on court 3, MSU's Sara Lizariturry and Rentouli upended the Commodore pair of Fernanda Contreras and Emily Smith 6-4. Claiming the doubles point of court 2, Vandy's Lauren Gish and Christina Rosca outlasted Bulldogs Magda Adaloglou and Janina Braun 7-5 to give VU an early 1-0 lead.

The Bulldogs rebounded in singles to split the first sets evenly with the Commodores to try to get back into the match and they would.

First off the court, MSU's Braun upset VU's 27^th-ranked Rosca 6-3, 6-2 on court 3 for the first ranked singles win of her Bulldog career. The win snapped a six-match skid for Braun. Following close behind, Vandy's fifth-ranked Contreras held off State's true freshman Adaloglou 7-5, 6-4 at No. 2, giving the Commodores a 2-1 lead.

Tying the match for a second time, the Maroon and White's Lizariturry posted a tough straight-set 6-4, 7-5 victory against Vandy's Dvorak to remain perfect in conference play, winning her fourth-straight decision.

Giving the Commodores their final lead for the day, the 22^nd-ranked Sharma outlasted State's Harrison in three sets on court 1 - 6-3, 3-6, 6-2 to give VU a 3-2 lead.

Then the Bulldogs started their second-straight incredible rally.

Next Up For MSU…

MSU stays at home this Saturday, March 17, to host No. 14 Kentucky. That contest is slated for a Noon start at the Pitts Tennis Centre.

For more information on the Mississippi State women's tennis program, follow "HailStateWT" on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.

Mississippi State 4, No. 2 Vanderbilt 3
A.J. Pitts Tennis Centre
Starkville, Miss.
March 15, 2018

Doubles
1. Amanda Meyer/Astra Sharma (VU) def. Madison Harrison/Khrystyna Vozniak (MSU) 6-3
2. Fernanda Contreras/Emily Smith (VU) def. Magda Adaloglou/Janina Braun (MSU) 7-5
3. Sara Lizariturry/Anastasia Rentouli (MSU) def. Lauren Gish/Christina Rosca (VU) 6-4
Order of finish: 1, 3, 2

Singles
1. No. 22 Astra Sharma (VU) def. Madison Harrison (MSU) 6-3, 3-6, 6-2
2. No. 5 Fernanda Contreras (VU) def. Magda Adaloglou (MSU) 7-5, 6-4
3. Janina Braun (MSU) def. No. 27 Christina Rosca (VU) 6-3, 6-2
4. Anastasia Rentouli (MSU) def. No. 98 Amanda Meyer (VU) 5-7, 6-3, 7-6(5)
5. Sara Lizariturry (MSU) def. Summer Dvorak (VU) 6-4, 7-5
6. Khrystyna Vozniak (MSU) def. Emily Smith (VU) 7-6(5), 7-6(8)
Order of finish: 3, 2, 5, 1, 6, 4