Jan. 24, 2015

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — The No. 23 South Carolina women’s tennis team earned a 6-1 victory over Kansas on Saturday in Albuquerque, N.M., at the Linda Estes Tennis Center to improve to 3-0 on the season.

The two squads split the Nos. 1 and 3 doubles positions with Carolina’s Hadley Berg and Elixane Lechemia winning first over Maria Jose Cardona and Maria Belen Luduena on court one 6-2. KU’s Summer Collins and Rachel McNeely upended Caroline Dailey and Ximena Siles Luna by the same score at three.

Down 5-6 at two, the Gamecocks’ Meghan Blevins and Brigit Folland managed to force a tiebreaker against Madison Harrison and Smith Hinton. The duo went on for a 7-3 victory to give South Carolina the doubles point.

South Carolina quickly moved ahead 3-0 following Berg’s 6-1, 6-3 triumph over McNeely at five and Siles Luna’s 6-0, 6-2 triumph against Alexis Czapinski on court six. The Jayhawks got on the board at four with Harrison earning the decision over Blevins after she withdrew in the third set with an injury. Elixane Lechemia scored the clinching point for the Gamecocks with a 6-3, 6-3 win over Cardona at the top position.

Folland followed with a 6-3, 6-4 decision over No. 114 Hinton on court three and Dailey scored the final point for the Gamecocks at No. 2 singles with a 7-6(2), 6-7(5), (10-8) win against Luduena.

South Carolina wraps up its stay in Albuquerque on Sunday with a 1 p.m. match against New Mexico.

#23 South Carolina def. Kansas, 6-1

Singles
1. #120 Elixane Lechemia (SC) def. Maria Jose Cardona (KU), 6-3, 6-3
2. Caroline Dailey (SC) def. Maria Belen Luduena (KU), 7-6(2), 6-7(5), (10-8)
3. Brigit Folland (SC) def. #114 Smith Hinton (KU), 6-3, 6-4
4. Madison Harrison (KU) def. #99 Meghan Blevins (SC), 1-6, 6-0, 3-0 retired (injury)
5. Hadley Berg (SC) def. Rachel McNeely (KU), 6-1, 6-3
6. Ximena Siles Luna (SC) def. Alexis Czapinski (KU), 6-0, 6-2

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

Doubles
1. Berg/Lechemia (SC) def. Cardona/Luduena (KU), 6-2
2. #33 Blevins/Folland (SC) def. Harrison/Hinton (KU), 7-6(3)
3. Summer Collins/McNeely (KU) def. Dailey/Siles Luna (SC), 6-2

Order of Finish: 1, 3, 2