March 14, 2008
PROVO, Utah — South Carolina’s women’s tennis team suffered a 5-1 loss in Provo, Utah, to BYU on Thursday to fall to 7-5 this season while the Cougars improved to 8-6.
The Gamecocks were swept in doubles play for the third consecutive match. Dolly Chang and Kristina Doerr won first on court two by an 8-3 score against Suzanna Mansour and Megan McGavock. Jennifer Miccoli and Anastasia Surkova provided the clinching victory by downing Gira Schofield and Ana Marija Zubori 8-4 at the top position. Elle Carney and Chie Hayasaka completed the sweep with a 9-7 win over Jelena Rajic and Natasa Vuckovic at three doubles.
South Carolina tied the score in singles with Vuckovic’s 6-2, 6-2 triumph against Hayasaka at No. 3 singles, but it ended up being the only point the Gamecocks won. Carolina went on to drop four singles matches that went three sets.
Chang put BYU on top 2-1 after defeating Mansour on court four 6-4, 4-6, 6-4, and Doerr moved the Cougars to within a point of winning the match when she ousted Zubori 7-6, 1-6, 6-2 at the second spot. Surkova’s 4-6, 6-4, 6-3 victory against Schofield at one sealed the win.
Once the team outcome had been decided and McGavock and Elizaveta Ezhova had split sets at five singles, the two played a super tiebreaker for the third. Ezhova managed to come away with a 6-4, 6-7, (10-7) win.
The No. 6 singles match between Rajic and Carney was not played.
South Carolina will look to snap its three-match losing streak Saturday when it plays Utah in Salt Lake City at 2 p.m. ET.
#52 BYU (8-6) def. #33 South Carolina (7-5), 5-1
Singles
1. Anastasia Surkova, BYU, def. #23 Gira Schofield, USC, 4-6, 6-4, 6-3
2. #85 Kristina Doerr, BYU, def. #69 Ana Marija Zubori, USC, 7-6, 1-6, 6-2
3. Natasa Vuckovic, USC, def. Chie Hayasaka, BYU, 6-2, 6-2
4. Dolly Chang, BYU, def. Suzanna Mansour, USC, 6-4, 4-6, 6-4
5. Elizaveta Ezhova, BYU, def. Megan McGavock, USC, 6-4, 6-7, (10-7)
6. Jelena Rajic, USC, vs. Elle Carney, BYU, (DNP)
Order of Finish: 3, 4, 2, 1, 5
Doubles
1. Jennifer Miccoli/Surkova, BYU, def. #19 Schofield/Zubori, USC, 8-4
2. Chang/Doerr, BYU, def. Mansour/McGavock, USC, 8-3
3. Carney/Hayasaka, BYU, def. Rajic/Vuckovic, USC, 9-7
Order of Finish: 2, 1, 3
