No. 11 State Women Fall To No. 6 Alabama At SEC Tournament
In doubles action, Elaine Fagan and Marcelle Hirt fell 8-5 to Ashley Bentley and Sophie Cremers at the second position. At No. 3, Patricia Assumpcao and Yumi Ueda dropped their match to Nathalie Koppelle and Natalie McElveen, 8-4. MSU's duo of Anastasia Kugakolova and Magdi Rekasi were up 6-3 on court one in the match against Alabama's 50th-ranked tandem of Millie Begovic and Robin Stephenson when play was suspended.
The match was moved indoors to the Goodfriend Tennis Center after doubles play do to inclement weather.
Lady Bulldog Kugakolova recorded State's only victory of the match with a win over Cremers in a 6-4, 6-4 decision. On court one, Rekasi fell 7-5, 6-1 to Alabama's Begovic. MSU's Hirt fought hard to take her match with Stephenson to a third set. Hirt was defeated in a 6-4, 3-6, 6-0 decision at the third position.
Lone senior Fagan dropped her final match in the Maroon and White to Marie-France Lord-Andrade, 6-1, 6-2. The match between Ueda and Bentley was suspended at 4-4 after Alabama clinched the win with Stephenson's victory. Assumpcao and Koppelle's match was also suspended with the score at 4-1, in Koppelle's favor.
"This was clearly our best match of the year, and that's hard to say because we lost," said head coach Tracy Lane. "Alabama was simply the better team. We came out and fought hard in doubles. We were ready in singles, too. I can't say enough about how well Anastasia (Kugakolova) played for us at two. There was nothing more I could have asked for from our players. This match was a good sign for us in the future."
#6 Alabama 4, #11 Mississippi State 1
DOUBLES
1. Kugakolova/Rekasi (MSU) and #50 Begovic/Stephenson (UA) 6-3 susp.
2. Bentley/Cremers (UA) def. Fagan/Hirt (MSU) 8-5
3. Koppelle/McElveen (UA) def. Assumpcao/Ueda (MSU) 8-4
SINGLES
1. Millie Begovic (UA) def. Magdi Rekasi (MSU) 7-5, 6-1
2. Anastasia Kugakolova (MSU) def. Sophie Cremers (UA) 6-4, 6-4
3. Robin Stephenson (UA) def. Marcelle Hirt (MSU) 6-4, 3-6, 6-0
4. Marie-France Lord-Andrade (UA) def. Elaine Fagan (MSU) 6-1, 6-2
5. Yumi Ueda (MSU) and Ashley Bentley (UA) 4-4 susp.
6. Patricia Assumpcao (MSU) and Nathalie Koppelle (UA) 1-4 susp.