Feb. 5, 2014
COLUMBIA, S.C. — The No. 33 South Carolina women’s tennis team improved to 4-1 this spring following a 7-0 victory against Furman on Wednesday evening at the USC Field House in Columbia, S.C. The Paladins dropped to 1-2 with the loss.
South Carolina took the doubles point in just over 30 minutes thanks to a pair of 6-2 victories on courts one and two. Brigit Folland and Katerina Popova won first for the Gamecocks on court two against Blair Martin and Ansley Speaks. Meghan Blevins and Elixane Lechemia provided the clinching point on court one versus Alex Moreno-Kaste and Katherine Oudin.
At No. 3 doubles, the Gamecocks’ Caroline Dailey and Ximena Siles Luna fell behind 2-0 to Margaret Boyette and Karlee Bryde. Dailey and Siles Luna, however, recovered to claim three games in a row for a 3-2 lead. Play was stopped once the point was clinched with the score 3-all.
Lechemia quickly pushed the lead to 2-0 after she won a 6-2, 6-1 decision against Moreno-Kaste on court one to improve to 3-1 this spring. Popova followed soon afterward with a 6-4, 6-1 triumph against Speaks at the No. 2 position, upping her spring record to 3-1 as well. Siles Luna provided the clinching point at four singles with a 6-2, 6-0 victory versus Martin.
With the match in hand, Folland extended the Gamecocks’ lead to 5-0 and snapped a two-match losing streak in the process by defeating Oudin 6-0, 6-2. It also marked Folland’s 10th victory of the season. Dailey needed three sets to give South Carolina its sixth point by upending Bryde 4-6, 6-0, (11-9) to earn her team leading 11th victory of the year. Alex Martin finished off the evening with a 6-4, 7-5 victory over Kelly Sullivan on court six for her first dual match win this season.
The Gamecocks return to the tennis courts Sunday when they host a doubleheader against Charleston Southern and Davidson at 10 a.m. and 3 p.m.
Singles
1. Elixane Lechemia, USC, def. Alex Moreno-Kaste, FU, 6-2, 6-1
2. Katerina Popova, USC, def. Ansley Speaks, FU, 6-4, 6-1
3. #113 Brigit Folland, USC, def. Katherine Oudin, FU, 6-0, 6-2
4. Ximena Siles Luna, USC, def. Blair Martin, FU, 6-1, 6-0
5. Caroline Dailey, USC, def. Karlee Bryde, FU, 4-6, 6-0, (11-9)
6. Alex Martin, USC, def. Kelly Sullivan, FU, 6-4, 7-5
Order of Finish: 1, 4, 2, 3, 5, 6
Doubles
1. Blevins/Lechemia, USC, def. Moreno-Kaste/Oudin, FU, 6-2
2. Folland/Popova, USC, def. Martin/Speaks, FU, 6-2
3. Dailey/Siles Luna, USC, vs. Margaret Boyette/Bryde, FU, 3-3 susp.
Order of Finish: 2, 1
