Sunday, March 1
Starkville
1:00 PM
Mississippi State
3
vs
4
Vanderbilt
Photo by: Mississippi State Athletics
State Women’s Tennis Edged By No. 20 Vanderbilt In 4-3 Nailbiter
March 01, 2020 | Women's Tennis
by Mikaela Elizondo, Graduate Assistant/Communicatons
STARKVILLE – The Mississippi State women's tennis team gave No. 20 Vanderbilt a huge fight in a 4-3 nail-biter Sunday at A.J Pitts Tennis Centre, the Bulldogs ultimately falling by that score.
With the setback, MSU fell to 7-4 overall, 1-1 in SEC play. Vanderbilt improved to 5-3, 1-1.
"We missed a golden opportunity to pick up a big SEC win over a top-20 team but I feel like we left it all out on the court," head coach Daryl Greenan said. "I am really proud of our effort today. We got better this weekend and if we keep battling like we did this afternoon, we are bound to win some close ones. I feel like our doubles is as good as anyone in the country. Our singles isn't far off. We just need to make some small adjustments to get over the hump of these close battles. We are a very young team and we just need to keep getting better every week and take it one match at a time."
State continued to dominate in doubles, just as the Bulldogs have all season. On court 2, Emma Antonaki and Alexandra Mikhailuk made quick work of Vanderbilt's Marcella Cruz and Emma Kurtz 6-1. Marta Falceto and Sara Lizariturry remained perfect (now 7-0 this spring) and followed suit on court 3 with a 6-1 triumph over the Commodores' Dasha Kourkina and Amanda Meyer. Court 1 was suspended in a 3-3 battle between Bulldogs Magda Adaloglou and Tamara Racine and Vandy's 18th-ranked pair of Christina Rosca and Georgia Drummy.
MSU has claimed the doubles point in nine of 10 matches it has been contested in this season. With her doubles victory Sunday, the senior Lizariturry moved into sole possession of fifth place in MSU career doubles wins with 61.
The Commodores fought back in singles, taking four first sets early on.
But State's 122nd-ranked Antonaki grabbed the first singles victory of the day as she upset the 31st-ranked Drummy 6-1, 6-4 at the No. 2 position. The victory marked the sophomore's first win over a ranked opponent in dual match play this season.
On court 1, Racine fell to VU's No. 18 Rosca 6-2, 6-1. The Bulldogs then took a 3-1 lead when Adaloglou extended her singles win streak to five matches with a spirited 7-5, 6-1 ousting of the Commodores' Kurtz on court 3.
State's Valeria Nikolaev was edged by Cruz at No. 5 7-5, 6-3 and the Bulldogs led 3-2 with the final two matches both determined in three-set affairs, with Bulldog true freshman fighting it out with their Vanderbilt counterparts at both the No. 4 and 6 positions.
After dropping the first set 7-5, MSU's Falceto fought back to take set two from Kourkina 6-1. Falceto ultimately ended up falling in a hard-fought third set as Kourkina completed a 7-5, 1-6, 6-4 victory to tie the match at 3-3.
All eyes then turned to court 4, where the Bulldog rookie Mikhailuk was down a set and 5-2 in the second to Vandy's Meyer. But MSU's true freshman dug deep and crawled her way back to take the second set 7-5, winning five consecutive games to do so. To no surprise, the match would then be decided by a third-set tiebreaker, which the junior Meyer took for a very close match-clinching 6-4, 5-7, 7-6(5) victory.
The Bulldogs return to action this Friday, March 6, as they host No. 23 Tennessee at 5 p.m. CT at the A.J. Pitts Tennis Centre. MSU will also welcome No. 9 Georgia (1 p.m.) and ULM (4 p.m.) in a doubleheader this Sunday, March 8.
For more information on Mississippi State women's tennis team, visit HailState.com and follow "HailStateWT" on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.
No. 20 Vanderbilt 4, Mississippi State 3
March 1, 2020
Starkville, Miss. – A.J. Pitts Tennis Centre
Doubles
1. Magda Adaloglou/Tamara Racine (MSU) vs. #18 Georgia Drummy/Christina Rosca (VU) 3-3, susp.
2. Emma Antonaki/Alexandra Mikhailuk (MSU) def. Marcella Cruz/Emma Kurtz (VU) 6-1
3. Marta Falceto/Sara Lizariturry (MSU) def. Dasha Kourkina/Amanda Meyer (VU) 6-1
Order of finish: 2,3
Singles
1. #18 Christina Rosca (VU) def. Tamara Racine (MSU) 6-2, 6-1
2. #122 Emma Antonaki (MSU) def. #31 Georgia Drummy (VU) 6-1, 6-4
3. Magda Adaloglou (MSU) def. Emma Kurtz (VU) 7-5, 6-1
4. Amanda Meyer (VU) def. Alexandra Mikhailuk (MSU) 6-4, 5-7, 7-6(5)
5. Marcella Cruz (VU) def. Valeria Nikolaev (MSU) 7-5, 6-3
6. Dasha Kourkina (VU) def. Marta Falceto (MSU) 7-5, 1-6, 6-4
Order of finish: 2,1,3,5,6,4
STARKVILLE – The Mississippi State women's tennis team gave No. 20 Vanderbilt a huge fight in a 4-3 nail-biter Sunday at A.J Pitts Tennis Centre, the Bulldogs ultimately falling by that score.
With the setback, MSU fell to 7-4 overall, 1-1 in SEC play. Vanderbilt improved to 5-3, 1-1.
"We missed a golden opportunity to pick up a big SEC win over a top-20 team but I feel like we left it all out on the court," head coach Daryl Greenan said. "I am really proud of our effort today. We got better this weekend and if we keep battling like we did this afternoon, we are bound to win some close ones. I feel like our doubles is as good as anyone in the country. Our singles isn't far off. We just need to make some small adjustments to get over the hump of these close battles. We are a very young team and we just need to keep getting better every week and take it one match at a time."
State continued to dominate in doubles, just as the Bulldogs have all season. On court 2, Emma Antonaki and Alexandra Mikhailuk made quick work of Vanderbilt's Marcella Cruz and Emma Kurtz 6-1. Marta Falceto and Sara Lizariturry remained perfect (now 7-0 this spring) and followed suit on court 3 with a 6-1 triumph over the Commodores' Dasha Kourkina and Amanda Meyer. Court 1 was suspended in a 3-3 battle between Bulldogs Magda Adaloglou and Tamara Racine and Vandy's 18th-ranked pair of Christina Rosca and Georgia Drummy.
MSU has claimed the doubles point in nine of 10 matches it has been contested in this season. With her doubles victory Sunday, the senior Lizariturry moved into sole possession of fifth place in MSU career doubles wins with 61.
The Commodores fought back in singles, taking four first sets early on.
But State's 122nd-ranked Antonaki grabbed the first singles victory of the day as she upset the 31st-ranked Drummy 6-1, 6-4 at the No. 2 position. The victory marked the sophomore's first win over a ranked opponent in dual match play this season.
On court 1, Racine fell to VU's No. 18 Rosca 6-2, 6-1. The Bulldogs then took a 3-1 lead when Adaloglou extended her singles win streak to five matches with a spirited 7-5, 6-1 ousting of the Commodores' Kurtz on court 3.
State's Valeria Nikolaev was edged by Cruz at No. 5 7-5, 6-3 and the Bulldogs led 3-2 with the final two matches both determined in three-set affairs, with Bulldog true freshman fighting it out with their Vanderbilt counterparts at both the No. 4 and 6 positions.
After dropping the first set 7-5, MSU's Falceto fought back to take set two from Kourkina 6-1. Falceto ultimately ended up falling in a hard-fought third set as Kourkina completed a 7-5, 1-6, 6-4 victory to tie the match at 3-3.
All eyes then turned to court 4, where the Bulldog rookie Mikhailuk was down a set and 5-2 in the second to Vandy's Meyer. But MSU's true freshman dug deep and crawled her way back to take the second set 7-5, winning five consecutive games to do so. To no surprise, the match would then be decided by a third-set tiebreaker, which the junior Meyer took for a very close match-clinching 6-4, 5-7, 7-6(5) victory.
The Bulldogs return to action this Friday, March 6, as they host No. 23 Tennessee at 5 p.m. CT at the A.J. Pitts Tennis Centre. MSU will also welcome No. 9 Georgia (1 p.m.) and ULM (4 p.m.) in a doubleheader this Sunday, March 8.
For more information on Mississippi State women's tennis team, visit HailState.com and follow "HailStateWT" on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.
No. 20 Vanderbilt 4, Mississippi State 3
March 1, 2020
Starkville, Miss. – A.J. Pitts Tennis Centre
Doubles
1. Magda Adaloglou/Tamara Racine (MSU) vs. #18 Georgia Drummy/Christina Rosca (VU) 3-3, susp.
2. Emma Antonaki/Alexandra Mikhailuk (MSU) def. Marcella Cruz/Emma Kurtz (VU) 6-1
3. Marta Falceto/Sara Lizariturry (MSU) def. Dasha Kourkina/Amanda Meyer (VU) 6-1
Order of finish: 2,3
Singles
1. #18 Christina Rosca (VU) def. Tamara Racine (MSU) 6-2, 6-1
2. #122 Emma Antonaki (MSU) def. #31 Georgia Drummy (VU) 6-1, 6-4
3. Magda Adaloglou (MSU) def. Emma Kurtz (VU) 7-5, 6-1
4. Amanda Meyer (VU) def. Alexandra Mikhailuk (MSU) 6-4, 5-7, 7-6(5)
5. Marcella Cruz (VU) def. Valeria Nikolaev (MSU) 7-5, 6-3
6. Dasha Kourkina (VU) def. Marta Falceto (MSU) 7-5, 1-6, 6-4
Order of finish: 2,1,3,5,6,4
Players Mentioned
/ Women's Tennis
/ Women's Tennis
/ Women's Tennis
/ Women's Tennis
/ Women's Tennis
/ Women's Tennis
/ Women's Tennis
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