BOILING SPRINGS, N.C.- The Gardner-Webb women's tennis team dropped their first Big South Conference match of the year to the Longwood Lancers, 4-3, at the Webb Tennis Complex in Boiling Springs, N.C.
The Runnin' Bulldogs fought well today against Longwood starting out positively with an impressive 8-0 win at No. 3 doubles where Catherine White and Sarah Rieckmann defeated the team of Coronel/Tucker. GWU took tough losses on the chin though at the No. 1 and No.2 positions losing both and tiebreaks which in return lost them the doubles point.
Senior Yasmin Doost and sophomore Mary Walker Mixon lost No. 1 doubles 8-7(3), while Rokia Sacko and Teodora Stanciu lost No. 2 doubles 8-7(1). Head Coach Jim Corn said this about today's match, "We played well and I am very proud of the girls, but it just did not go our way today."
In singles play the Runnin' Bulldogs split the matches with the Lancers each team taking three singles matches a piece and giving Longwood the edge 4-3 overall. At No. 1 singles Doost played well in her first set but eventually dropped her match in three sets 6-7(4), 6-3, 6-0 to Malin Allgurin.
Gardner-Webb would win at No. 2, 3 and 4 singles with Sacko picking up a well earned win at No. 2 defeating Anna Pelak 6-1, 5-7, 6-1. At No. 3 the freshman Rieckmann also enjoyed a three set win beating Maria Coronel 6-0, 4-6, 6-3, while her doubles partner White won her match at No. 4 in straight sets 6-3, 6-2.
Mixon lost her No. 5 singles match 6-0, 6-3 and Stanciu dropped her No. 6 singles match in very tough fashion. Winning her first set 6-3, dropping her second set to Nicole Parker 6-4 and leading in the third and final set which included two match point opportunities for Stanciu only to lose 7-5.With the loss today Gardner-Webb moves to 3-3 on the year and 0-1 in conference play.
The GWU women's tennis team will look to bounce back with their next conference match as they travel to Myrtle Beach, S.C. to take on Coastal Carolina this coming Saturday, March 7. The match is set to begin at 1:00 p.m. on Saturday.
