March 9, 2010

COLUMBIA, S.C. — The 20th-ranked South Carolina women’s tennis team won its fifth consecutive match Tuesday at Maxcy Gregg Tennis Center in Columbia, S.C., by defeating Wake Forest 5-2. The Gamecocks improved to 7-3 with the win while the Demon Deacons dropped to 5-6.

The Gamecocks got off to a strong start by winning the doubles point. Miljana Jocic and Anya Morgina posted the first win for the Gamecocks on court two by an 8-5 count over Ryann Cutillo and Katarina Reveche. Jocic and Morgina held a 6-2 lead after eight games before Cutillo and Reveche won three straight to trim the deficit to one. Morgina’s strong serving put South Carolina on top 7-5 and a break of serve in the next game finished the match.

Adriana Pereira and Rita Maisak clinched the doubles point at the No. 3 position by upending Aileen Davis and Emilee Malvehy. The two began with a 2-0 lead and continued to lead at 5-3 until Davis and Malvehy tied the match at 5-all. Pereira and Maisak got a critical break of serve in the 11th game to regain the lead at 6-5 and Pereira held serve to make it 7-5. The Gamecock duo then managed a break of serve in the following game for the 8-5 triumph.

South Carolina’s No. 1 team of Ana Marija Zubori and Dijana Stojic fell behind 4-0 to Sasha Kulikova and Kathryn Talbert before winning a game. Zubori and Stojic made the score 4-2 before dropping another game to give Kulikova and Tabert a 5-2 upper hand. The Gamecock tandem then surged ahead 6-5, but Wake countered to make it 6-all. South Carolina then held serve and got a break to give Zubori and Stojic their third win in less than a week against a ranked doubles team. Kulikova and Talbert entered the match ranked No. 44, and Stojic and Zubori beat the 15th- and 18th-ranked teams last week.

The Gamecocks wasted no time putting the match away in singles with three quick victories on courts two, three and five. Morgina finished first with a 6-2, 6-3 triumph versus Malvehy at No. 3 singles, followed by Pereira’s 6-3, 6-2 decision over Davis at the No. 5 position. Stojic provided the fourth and clinching point on court two by downing Talbert 6-2, 6-3.

The Demon Deacons got on the board with Anna Mydlowska’s 7-5, 6-1 win against Maisak at six singles and within minutes, they added another point with Kulikova’s 6-3, 7-5 win over Zubori at the top slot. South Carolina ended the day with a win, though, scoring a 6-3, 6-3 victory on court four with Jocic overtaking Reveche.

South Carolina will return to SEC play Friday when it takes on Alabama on Friday at 4 p.m. ET.

#20 South Carolina (7-3, 2-0 SEC) def. #61 Wake Forest (5-6, 0-1 ACC), 5-2

Singles
1. Sasha Kulikova, WFU, def. #72 Ana Marija Zubori, USC, 6-3, 7-5
2. Dijana Stojic, USC, def. Kathryn Talbert, WFU, 6-2, 6-3
3. #111 Anya Morgina, USC, def. Emilee Malvehy, WFU, 6-2, 6-3
4. Miljana Jocic, USC, def. Katarina Reveche, WFU, 6-3, 6-3
5. Adriana Pereira, USC, def. Aileen Davis, WFU, 6-3, 6-2
6. Anna Mydlowska, WFU, def. Rita Maisak, USC, 7-5, 6-1

Order of Finish: 3, 5, 2, 6, 1, 4

Doubles
1. Stojic/Zubori, USC, def. #44 Kulikova/Talbert, WFU, 8-6
2. Jocic/Morgina, USC, def. Ryann Cutillo/Reveche, WFU, 8-5
3. Maisak/Pereira, USC, def. Davis/Malvehy, WFU, 8-5

Order of Finish: 2, 3, 1