March 15, 2015

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — The No. 36 South Carolina women’s tennis team dropped a tight 4-3 decision at No. 44 Arkansas on Sunday to fall to 9-6 and 2-4 in the SEC. The Razorbacks improved to 12-7 and 2-3 in the league.

South Carolina dropped a very close doubles point to dig itself in an early hole. The Gamecocks, through, did strike first with Meghan Blevins and Brigit Folland defeating Makenzie Craft and Mia Jurasic 8-4 on court two for their 22nd victory of the season together. Individually, Folland is 27-6 in doubles contests this season, while her partner is 24-7.

Arkansas responded with Shannon Hudson and Yuliya Lysa upending Hadley Berg and Caroline Dailey 8-6 at the No. 1 spot, putting the deciding match on court three. Flavia Araujo and Oleksandra Shkorupeieva from Arkansas had a 7-6 lead on Megen Cochran and Elixane Lechemia, but the Gamecocks managed to get the match into a tiebreaker. The Razorbacks prevailed in the breaker by an 8-6 score to take the upper hand heading to singles.

In singles, courts three and four finished within a couple of minutes of each other with each team winning a match. Three finished just ahead of four with Craft defeating Folland in straight sets 7-5, 6-2. Blevins scored the Gamecocks’ first point with a 6-2, 6-3 decision over Shkorupeieva at No. 4 singles. The Charleston, S.C., native improved to a team-leading 21-7 overall and 9-5 in dual matches with the victory.

The Razorbacks moved the lead to 3-1 after Araujo held on for a 7-5, 6-4 triumph over Cochran at six, but Lechemia chopped the lead in half with a 6-2, 7-5 victory against Lysa atop the singles lineup. Down a set and in a second set tiebreaker, Dailey tried to keep Carolina’s hopes alive but could not get the points she needed in a 6-2, 7-6(3) loss to Hudson at the No. 2 spot.

Siles Luna finished up her match afterward with a 6-3, 6-4 victory over Jurasic at five to remain undefeated in dual matches at 9-0. She improved to 16-5 overall with the win as well.

The Gamecocks return home to host No. 41 Mississippi State on Friday at 5 p.m. and No. 16 Ole Miss on Sunday at 1 p.m.

#44 Arkansas def. #36 South Carolina, 4-3

Singles
1. #74 Elixane Lechemia (SC) def. #117 Yuliya Lysa (UA), 6-2, 7-5
2. Shannon Hudson (UA) def. Caroline Dailey (SC), 6-2, 7-6(3)
3. Makenzie Craft (UA) def. Brigit Folland (SC), 7-5, 6-2
4. Meghan Blevins (SC) def. Oleksandra Shkorupeieva (UA), 6-2, 6-3
5. Ximena Siles Luna (SC) def. Mia Jurasic (UA), 6-3, 6-4
6. Flavia Araujo (UA) def. Megen Cochran (SC), 7-5, 6-4

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

Doubles
1. Hudson/Lysa (UA) def. #53 Hadley Berg/Dailey (SC), 8-6
2. #45 Blevins/Folland (SC) def. Craft/Jurasic (UA), 8-4
3. Araujo/Shkorupeieva (UA) def. Cochran/Lechemia (SC), 8-7(6)

Order of Finish: 2, 1, 3