March 16, 2014
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — The No. 54 South Carolina women’s tennis team fell short at No. 49 Tennessee on Sunday, taking a 4-2 loss to the Lady Volunteers in Knoxville, Tenn., in a match that lasted over four hours at Goodfriend Tennis Center. The Gamecocks dropped to 10-6 overall and 1-4 in the SEC, while the Lady Vols earned their first league victory to improve to 1-4. UT moved to 5-8 overall.
For the second straight year, the Gamecocks dominated doubles play, winning handily on courts one and three. Carolina’s 61st-ranked duo of Elixane Lechemia and Dominika Kanakova won first with an 8-1 triumph against Eve Repic and Victoria Olivarez. Meghan Blevins and Caroline Dailey defeated Joanna Henderson and Tiffany Tavares 8-3 on court three to clinch the point. At No. 2, Brigit Folland and Katerina Popova had a comfortable 6-1 lead on UT’s Laurence Guevremont and Brittany Lindl when play was stopped.
Tennessee responded in singles by picking up two quick victories on courts one and five to take the lead. Lindl finished with a 6-0, 6-3 triumph over Dailey at the No. 5 spot and No. 102-ranked Repic upended Lechemia 6-2, 6-1 at the top of the lineup to put UT ahead.
The Gamecocks managed to tie the score back up on court four, as No. 95 Folland prevailed with a 6-4, 6-4 win against Olivarez. South Carolina, though, would not record another point on the day, as courts three and six finished in the Lady Vols’ favor. Guevremont took at 6-4, 6-4 decision from No. 112 Blevins at three and Kanakova lost in three sets to Tavares 6-2, 6-7 (4-7), 6-4 at six in the deciding match.
The remaining match at No. 2 singles saw Tennessee with an advantage as well. Henderson won the first set versus Popova 6-4 and the second set was tied 5-all when Tavares clinched the win.
South Carolina is on the road next weekend as well when it faces No. 8 Alabama on Friday and No. 21 Auburn on Sunday.
Singles
1. #102 Eve Repic, UT, def. Elixane Lechemia, USC, 6-2, 6-2
2. Katerina Popova, USC, vs. Joanna Henderson, UT, 4-6, 5-5 susp.
3. Laurence Guevremont, UT, def. #112 Meghan Blevins, USC, 6-4, 6-4
4. #95 Brigit Folland, USC, def. Victoria Olivarez, UT, 6-4, 6-4
5. Brittany Lindl, UT, def. Caroline Dailey, USC, 6-0, 6-3
6. Tiffany Tavares, UT, def. Dominika Kanakova, USC, 6-2, 6-7 (4-7), 6-4
Order of Finish: 5, 1, 4, 3, 6
Doubles
1. #61 Lechemia/Kanakova, USC, def. Repic/Olivarez, UT, 8-1
2. Folland/Popova, USC, vs. Guevremont/Lindl, UT, 6-1 susp.
3. Dailey/Blevins, USC, def. Henderson/Tavares, UT, 8-3
Order of Finish: 1, 3
