No. 13 Gamecocks Drop 4-3 Heartbreaker to No. 12 Auburn
March 31, 2017
COLUMBIA, S.C. — No. 13 South Carolina women’s tennis dropped a tough match to No. 12 Auburn, 4-3, on Friday at the Carolina Tennis Center. The Gamecocks took the doubles point and the first two singles points, but a late rally and an overrule penalty gave the Tigers the victory.
The Gamecocks fall to 4-4 in the SEC and 13-6 overall, while Auburn improve to 3-5 in league play and 19-6 in the spring.
In doubles play, Brigit Folland and Ingrid Gamarra Martins took care of business with a 6-3 win at No. 2, scoring their second consecutive SEC victory as a doubles pair. The Gamecocks clinched the doubles point as Caroline Dailey and Hadley Berg held on for a 6-4 win at No. 1 against #14 Taylor Russo and Alizee Michaud, the pair’s first victory over a ranked pair this season.
After helping clinch the doubles point, Folland carried the energy into singles where she captured a quick 6-0, 6-1 win at No. 6, increasing her win streak to four and giving the Gamecocks a 2-0 lead. Berg followed with a decisive 7-5, 6-0 triumph on court five. The victory stretched her streak to 15-0, the best start for a Gamecock since 1995 and one better than her 14-0 start in the 2015-16 season.
Momentum swung Auburn’s way when Russo (85) put the Tigers on the board with her 6-4, 6-3 victory over Dailey on court three. Michaud (34) brought the score within one with a three-set victory (7-6, 3-6, 6-2) over Mia Horvit (75) on court two. Andie Dikosavljevic (78) evened the score at three apiece with a 6-4, 3-6, 7-5 battle against Martins (36) on court one.
Freshman Silvia Chinellato battled her opponent to a tiebreak in the third set but a rare overrule penalty cost her the game and the Gamecocks the match. Chinellato was overruled by the referee three times prior to the tiebreak, when she was overruled a fourth time she was penalized a game. The penalty immediately ended the tiebreak and resulted in a 2-6, 6-3, 7-6 score on court four and a 4-3 final score.
RESULTS
1. #78 Andie Dikosavljevic (AU) def. #36 Ingrid Gamarra Martins (SC) 6-4, 3-6, 7-5
2. #34 Alizee Michaud (AU) def. #75 Mia Horvit (SC) 7-6, 3-6, 6-2
3. #85 Taylor Russo (AU) def. Caroline Dailey (SC) 6-4, 6-3
4. Georgie Axon (AU) def. Silvia Chinellato (SC) 2-6, 6-3, 7-6
5. Hadley Berg (SC) def. Alannah Griffin (AU) 7-5, 6-0
6. Brigit Folland (SC) def. Caroline Turner (AU) 6-0, 6-1
DOUBLES (2,1*):
1. Dailey/Berg (SC) def. #14 Russo/Michaud(AU) 6-4
2. Folland/Martins (SC) def. Dikosavljevic/Griffin(AU) 6-3
3. Horvit/Chinellato (SC) vs. Muller/Axon (AU) UNF
Up Next
The Gamecocks return to action Sunday, April 2 as they host No. 34 Alabama at the Carolina Tennis Center at 1 p.m. Admission and parking for all home tennis matches is free of charge. For more information on South Carolina women’s tennis, follow the team on Instagram and Twitter at gamecockwtennis or check in at GamecocksOnline.com.
