Friday, October 9
Tuscaloosa, Ala.
All Day
Mississippi State
vs
SEC Challenge #1
Senior transfer Lilian Poling went 2-0 on her first day as a Bulldog Friday.
State Women’s Tennis Dominates On Opening Day Of SEC Challenge
October 09, 2020 | Women's Tennis
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – Mississippi State women's tennis ushered in the 2020 fall campaign with a very impressive day Friday, going 6-1 including a perfect 5-0 record in singles against players from host Alabama. The theme of the day for State was clearly fight and determination as the Bulldogs dug in and rallied to win in nearly every one of their victories.
The Bulldogs kicked off the event with doubles action. Lilian Poling and Tamara Racine overcame a 3-2 deficit to oust Alabama's Anne Marie Hiser and Sydney Riley 6-4. The victory marked the senior transfer Poling's first win in the Maroon and White. Freshmen Marta Falceto and Alexandra Mikhailuk were edged by the Crimson Tide's Anna Parkhomenko and Alba Cortina Pou 6-4. Both MSU pairs were seeing their first competition ever together as a doubles duos.
State then dominated in singles play, sweeping all five matches on the afternoon, again in gritty fashion.
Falceto led the way by posting an impressive 6-4, 6-1 triumph - rallying from 4-2 down in the first set for the win - over the Crimson Tide's Sasha Gorchanyuk.
Mikhailuk followed suit by notching a solid 7-5, 6-3 victory over UA's Cortina Pou.
Poling made it 2-0 on her first day as a Bulldog as she came out on top over Hiser in a 6-2, 3-6, 7-6(4) marathon. Poling broke Hiser at 5-4 down in the third set to stay in the match and go on to claim the deciding tiebreaker.
Perhaps the most determined Bulldog of the afternoon was Valeria Nikolaev. After falling behind 4-0 in the first set, she rebounded to take it over Alabama's Vanesa Nikolovova 7-5. The second set mirrored the first, as Nikolaev found herself down 5-1 at one point but mounted another huge comeback, winning six straight games to take the match in straight sets 7-5, 7-5.
Racine provided the final excitement of the day for State as she ousted Alabama's Moka Ito in comeback fashion. After dropping the first set in a tiebreaker, the Bulldog sophomore rallied to take the next two sets – including a shutout in the third – and the match 6-7(4), 6-4, 6-0.
The day marked the first competition for the Bulldogs since the 2020 spring season was cut short nationwide in mid-March.
"We are all so excited to be competing again," head coach Daryl Greenan said. "We had a bunch of close matches that went our way. I was super proud of the way we fought back in several sets and then finished strong when we had the opportunity. We expected to be a little rusty after such a long break in competition but, for the most part, our level was as good as I would have hoped for today."
The Bulldogs look to continue their hot start to the weekend on day two of the SEC Challenge Saturday, beginning with doubles at 10 a.m. CT and singles to follow.
For more information on Mississippi State women's tennis team, visit HailState.com and follow "HailStateWT" on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.
MSU at the 2020 SEC Challenge - October 9, 2020
Alabama Tennis Stadium - Tuscaloosa, Alabama
Doubles
Lilian Poling/Tamara Racine (MSU) def. Anne Marie Hiser/Sydney Riley (UA) 6-4
Anna Parkhomenko/Alba Cortina Pou (UA) def. Marta Falceto/Alexandra Mikhailuk (MSU) 6-4
Singles
Tamara Racine (MSU) def. Moka Ito (UA) 6-7(4), 6-4, 6-0
Alexandra Mikhailuk (MSU) def. Alba Cortina Pou (UA) 7-5, 6-3
Lilian Poling (MSU) def. Anne Marie Hiser (UA) 6-2, 3-6, 7-6(4)
Marta Falceto (MSU) def. Sasha Gorchanyuk (UA) 6-4, 6-1
Valeria Nikolaev (MSU) def. Vanesa Nikolovova (UA) 7-5, 7-5
The Bulldogs kicked off the event with doubles action. Lilian Poling and Tamara Racine overcame a 3-2 deficit to oust Alabama's Anne Marie Hiser and Sydney Riley 6-4. The victory marked the senior transfer Poling's first win in the Maroon and White. Freshmen Marta Falceto and Alexandra Mikhailuk were edged by the Crimson Tide's Anna Parkhomenko and Alba Cortina Pou 6-4. Both MSU pairs were seeing their first competition ever together as a doubles duos.
State then dominated in singles play, sweeping all five matches on the afternoon, again in gritty fashion.
Falceto led the way by posting an impressive 6-4, 6-1 triumph - rallying from 4-2 down in the first set for the win - over the Crimson Tide's Sasha Gorchanyuk.
Mikhailuk followed suit by notching a solid 7-5, 6-3 victory over UA's Cortina Pou.
Poling made it 2-0 on her first day as a Bulldog as she came out on top over Hiser in a 6-2, 3-6, 7-6(4) marathon. Poling broke Hiser at 5-4 down in the third set to stay in the match and go on to claim the deciding tiebreaker.
Perhaps the most determined Bulldog of the afternoon was Valeria Nikolaev. After falling behind 4-0 in the first set, she rebounded to take it over Alabama's Vanesa Nikolovova 7-5. The second set mirrored the first, as Nikolaev found herself down 5-1 at one point but mounted another huge comeback, winning six straight games to take the match in straight sets 7-5, 7-5.
Racine provided the final excitement of the day for State as she ousted Alabama's Moka Ito in comeback fashion. After dropping the first set in a tiebreaker, the Bulldog sophomore rallied to take the next two sets – including a shutout in the third – and the match 6-7(4), 6-4, 6-0.
The day marked the first competition for the Bulldogs since the 2020 spring season was cut short nationwide in mid-March.
"We are all so excited to be competing again," head coach Daryl Greenan said. "We had a bunch of close matches that went our way. I was super proud of the way we fought back in several sets and then finished strong when we had the opportunity. We expected to be a little rusty after such a long break in competition but, for the most part, our level was as good as I would have hoped for today."
The Bulldogs look to continue their hot start to the weekend on day two of the SEC Challenge Saturday, beginning with doubles at 10 a.m. CT and singles to follow.
For more information on Mississippi State women's tennis team, visit HailState.com and follow "HailStateWT" on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.
MSU at the 2020 SEC Challenge - October 9, 2020
Alabama Tennis Stadium - Tuscaloosa, Alabama
Doubles
Lilian Poling/Tamara Racine (MSU) def. Anne Marie Hiser/Sydney Riley (UA) 6-4
Anna Parkhomenko/Alba Cortina Pou (UA) def. Marta Falceto/Alexandra Mikhailuk (MSU) 6-4
Singles
Tamara Racine (MSU) def. Moka Ito (UA) 6-7(4), 6-4, 6-0
Alexandra Mikhailuk (MSU) def. Alba Cortina Pou (UA) 7-5, 6-3
Lilian Poling (MSU) def. Anne Marie Hiser (UA) 6-2, 3-6, 7-6(4)
Marta Falceto (MSU) def. Sasha Gorchanyuk (UA) 6-4, 6-1
Valeria Nikolaev (MSU) def. Vanesa Nikolovova (UA) 7-5, 7-5
Players Mentioned
/ Women's Tennis
/ Women's Tennis
/ Women's Tennis
/ Women's Tennis
/ Women's Tennis
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