CLINTON, S.C. – A slow start in doubles play carried over into singles and doomed Longwood in a Big South showdown, as league foe Presbyterian cruised to a 5-2 win Saturday morning at the Templeton Tennis Courts.
Playing their second road game in less than 24 hours, Longwood dropped all three doubles bouts to the Blue Hose, who improved to 4-1 on their home court. Presbyterian (7-7, 1-3 Big South) carried that momentum into singles play, dispatching the Lancers in three straight singles bouts before Longwood's freshman tandem of
Yulia Almiron and
Tanja Skalda blocked the sweep with back-to-back three-set wins to close the match.
The loss was the second straight for Longwood (5-7, 0-6 Big South) following Friday afternoon's 7-0 defeat at surging UNC Asheville.
"We lost a tough battle yesterday against an opponent who challenged our resilience," said Longwood's second-year head coach
Maria Lopez. "Unfortunately as the score shows, the immaturity to use that as motivation was clear today. At this point of the season, that's unacceptable. The players who continue to invest in the process will see results."
Longwood's lone wins on the day came from Almiron and Skalda at singles Nos. 2 and 5, respectively. Both bounced back from second-set losses to grind out their third-set tiebreaks with matching 10-8 scores, but those wins came after Presbyterian had already clinched the match.
Presbyterian ace Brittany Nuttall and No. 3 Beth Taylor gave the Blue Hose a boost at the start of singles play, making quick work of their Lancer counterparts to run the lead to 3-0. Taylor, who owns the Big South's third-best doubles record at 11-2, swept sophomore
Jamie Breunig 6-0, 6-0, while Nuttall bested Longwood's No. 1
Marija Venta 6-0, 6-1.
From there, Presbyterian No. 4 Samantha Calais outlasted Kaoria Terunuma 6-4, 6-4, and Katie Thompson took down Longwood freshman
Julia Candiotto 6-3, 6-0 at No. 6.
Skalda's win was her team-leading seventh of the season, improving her record to a team-best 7-3 on the year. Almiron, meanwhile, improved to 4-7 at Longwood's No. 2 spot in her inaugural season of college tennis.
Longwood will now get a week to prepare for their next two bouts, which also take place on back-to-back days next Friday and Saturday, March 30-31, at future Big South foe Hampton in Hampton, Va., and at UMES in Princess Anne, Md.
Presbyterian 5, Longwood 2
Mar 24, 2018 at Clinton, S.C. (Templeton Tennis Courts)
Singles competition
1. Brittany Nuttall (PC) def. VENTA, Marija (LWUW) 6-0, 6-1
2. ALMIRON, Yulia (LWUW) def. Tracy Johnson (PC) 6-4, 4-6, 1-0 (10-8)
3. Beth Taylor (PC) def. BREUNIG, Jamie (LWUW) 6-0, 6-0
4. Samantha Calais (PC) def. TERUNUMA, Kaori (LWUW) 6-4, 6-4
5. SKALDA, Tanja (LWUW) def. Caroline Ferrari (PC) 6-0, 4-6, 1-0 (10-8)
6. Katie Thompson (PC) def. CANDIOTTO, Julia (LWUW) 6-3, 6-0
Doubles competition
1. Demi Henschel/Samantha Calais (PC) def. VENTA, Marija/CANDIOTTO, Julia (LWUW) 7-5
2. Caroline Ferrari/Tracy Johnson (PC) def. BREUNIG, Jamie/TERUNUMA, Kaori (LWUW) 6-2
3. Brittany Nuttall/Beth Taylor (PC) def. SKALDA, Tanja/ALMIRON, Yulia (LWUW) 6-4
Match Notes
Longwood 5-7, 0-6 BSC
Presbyterian 7-7, 1-3 BSC
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