Oct. 18, 2014

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. — Senior Elixane Lechemia from the South Carolina women’s tennis team advanced to the doubles semifinals and the singles quarterfinals Saturday at the USTA/ITA Carolina Regional Championships at the Cone-Kenfield Tennis Center in Chapel Hill, N.C.

Lechemia teamed with Hadley Berg to defeat the second-seeded duo of Carter/Price from North Carolina in the quarterfinals to reach Sunday’s semifinal round. Meghan Blevins and Brigit Folland also won against Janowicz/Nalborska of NC State by an 8-3 score and will now face their teammates Lechemia and Berg to assure the Gamecocks of a team in the doubles championship.

In singles, Lechemia, ranked 56th, defeated Joanna Nalborska 6-2, 7-5 in the round of 32 and then scored a 6-2, 7-6(8) victory against Marika Ackkerman of North Carolina to reach the quarterfinals. Caroline Dailey won her first match of the day versus Coastal Carolina’s Honami Yazawa 7-6(2), 6-4 but then fell to No. 35 Caroline Price of North Carolina in the round of 16 by scores of 6-4, 6-2

South Carolina lost two quarterfinal doubles matches on the morning, as Natalie Looney and Ximena Siles Luna dropped an 8-5 decision to No. 18 Goldfeld/Smith of Duke and Megen Cochran and Dailey lost to No. 58 Dai/Vialle of North Carolina by the same score.

Cochran, Folland and Blevins all lost in the round of 32 in singles as well. Blevins took a 3-6, 6-0, 6-4 loss to Samantha Asch of Wake Forest to snap her seven-match winning streak. Kate Vialle of North Carolina ousted Cochran 6-2, 7-5 and Duke’s Rebecca Smaller defeated No. 114 Folland in three sets 6-3, 3-6, 6-3.

Doubles semifinals are set for 8:30 a.m. Sunday followed by singles play.

SINGLES
Samantha Asch (Wake Forest) def. Meghan Blevins (South Carolina) 3-6, 6-0, 6-4
Kate Vialle (North Carolina) def. Megen Cochran (South Carolina) 6-2, 7-5
Rebecca Smaller (Duke) def. #114 Brigit Folland (South Carolina) 6-3, 3-6, 6-3
#56 Elixane Lechemia (South Carolina) def. Joanna Nalborska (NC State) 6-2, 7-5
#56 Elixane Lechemia (South Carolina) def. Marika Ackkerman (North Carolina) 6-3, 7-6(8)
Caroline Dailey (South Carolina) def. Honami Yazawa (Coastal Carolina) 7-6(2), 6-4
#35 Caroline Price (North Carolina) def. Caroline Dailey (South Carolina) 6-4, 6-2

DOUBLES
#18 Goldfeld/Smith (Duke) def. Looney/Siles Luna (South Carolina) 8-5
#58 Dai/Vialle (North Carolina) def. Cochran/Dailey (South Carolina) 8-5
Blevins/Folland (South Carolina) def. Janowicz/Nalborska (NC State) 8-3
Berg/Lechemia (South Carolina) def. Carter/Price (North Carolina) 8-5