Women's Tennis Remains Unbeaten With 4-3 Win Over VCU
Feb. 1, 2014
CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – The No. 33-ranked South Carolina women’s tennis team improved to 3-0 in 2014 with a 4-3 victory over No. 44 VCU on Saturday in Charlottesville, Va. It was the Rams’ fourth straight loss, dropping their record to 2-4.
The Gamecocks claimed the doubles point, which proved to be the difference in the match, with victories at the top two positions. Meghan Blevins and Elixane Lechemia finished first with a 6-4 victory against Ludivine Burguiere and Cindy Chala on court one. Brigit Folland and Katerina Popova secured the point at the No. 2 spot with a 6-3 triumph against Olga Barscheuskaya and Daria Yakauleva.
The No. 3 doubles match between South Carolina’s Caroline Dailey and Ximena Siles Luna, and the Rams’ Salome Kvitashvili and Olga Terteac was abandoned once the point had been decided.
Chala tied the team score in singles with a 6-3, 6-2 win over Popova at the No. 1 singles position, but Lechemia put Carolina back on top with a 6-1, 6-2 win against Burguiere on court two. Yukako Noi tied the score again when she upended Folland at the third singles slot by scores of 6-2, 6-3. Dailey pulled the Gamecocks within a point of winning the match when she dispatched Barscheuskaya 6-2, 2-6, (10-8) at six, and Siles Luna provided the clincher with a 6-2, 6-4 win versus Kvitashvili at four.
Blevins nearly made the score a 5-2 final for the Gamecocks when she took a 6-1 lead in a third set super tiebreaker against Yakauleva on court five, but she was unable to hang on and suffered a 3-6, 6-3, (11-9) setback.
The 4-3 final score marked the fourth time in the last five meetings the Gamecocks and Rams have played a match decided by one point. South Carolina has won all four of those decisions and has now claimed five straight against VCU.
The Gamecocks will return to the courts Sunday when they take on the 14th-ranked Virginia Cavaliers at noon at the Boar’s Head Sports Club in Charlottesville. UVa is 2-0 this season and coming off a 6-1 win over VCU on Friday.
Singles
1. Cindy Chala, VCU, def. Katerina Popova, USC, 6-3, 6-2
2. Elixane Lechemia, USC, def. Ludivine Burguiere, VCU, 6-1, 6-2
3. #81 Yukako Noi, VCU, def. #113 Brigit Folland, USC, 6-2, 6-3
4. Ximena Siles Luna, USC, def. Salome Kvitashvili, VCU, 6-2, 6-4
5. Daria Yakauleva, VCU, def. Meghan Blevins, USC, 3-6, 6-3, (11-9)
6. Caroline Dailey, USC, def. Olga Barscheuskaya, VCU, 6-2, 2-6, (10-8)
Order of Finish: 1, 2, 3, 6, 4, 5
Doubles
1. Blevins/Lechemia, USC, def. Burguiere/Chala, VCU, 6-4
2. Folland/Popova, USC, def. Barscheuskaya/Yakauleva, VCU, 6-3
3. Dailey/Siles Luna, USC, vs. Kvitashvili/Olga Terteac, VCU, DNF
Order of Finish: 1, 2
