GOLDEN SUNS DROP BOTH MATCHES AT 2008 GSC TOURNAMENT
TO NATIONALLY-RANKED FOES

        MONTGOMERY, Alabama – Arkansas Tech Golden Suns Tennis dropped both of its matches here Saturday to nationally-ranked opponents at the 2008 Gulf South Conference Tournament held at Lagoon Park. The GSC Tournament appearance for the Golden Suns was the first for the program since joining the league in 1996.

Tech, the No. 4 seed out of the West Division, opened the tournament with a 5-0 loss to fourth-ranked Valdosta State, the East Division champions and then fell 5-2 in a consolation match to 38th-ranked Harding, the No. 2 seed from the West Division.   

With the two losses, Tech falls to 11-10 overall on the season and is now 8-9 in South Region matches.

Against Valdosta State, who won the 2008 GSC title with its 5-4 win over West Florida in Sunday’s championship match, Tech scored just seven points in the five matches against the Lady Blazers. VSU opened by winning all three doubles matches and the sealed the win by winning 6-1, 6-0 at No. 3 singles and 6-0, 6-0 at No. 4 singles.

In Saturday’s second match against Harding, Tech prevented a sweep in doubles by Harding, who won by identical 8-4 scores at both the No. 1 and No. 2 spot, as its No. 3 team of senior Whitney Simmons (Pottsville, Ark.) and junior Kristen Brown (Winona, Texas) defeated the Lady Bisons No. 3 team of Katy Turnbow and Haniel Gara, 8-6. In singles action, Harding won the match by posting wins at No. 1, No. 2 and No. 3, but Simmons picked up Tech’s second point as she defeated Gara in straight sets at the No. 6 singles spot.

Results

Valdosta State 5, Tech 0

Singles

No. 3 – Hollie Bees (VSU) def. Puja Paul (Tech), 6-1, 6-0

No. 4 – Karine Redon (VSU) def. Michelle Yu (Tech), 6-0, 6-0

Doubles

No. 1 – Rothlaender/Trautman (VSU) def. Carson/Saki Matsuoka (Tech), 8-2

No. 2 – Redon/Durante (VSU) def. Paul/Yu (Tech), 8-3

No. 3 – Gumbrecht/Bees (VSU) def. Simmons/Brown, 8-1

Harding 5, Tech 2

Singles

No. 1 – Alicia Williams (HU) def. Anna Carson (Tech), 6-0, 6-0

No. 3 – Lola Pardo (HU) def. Puja Paul (Tech), 6-1, 6-0

No. 4 – Katherine Golick (HU) def. Michelle Yu (Tech), 6-3, 6-1

No. 6 – Whitney Simmons (Tech) def. Haniel Gara (HU), 6-1, 6-0

Doubles

No. 1 – Gomes/Williams (HU) def. Carson/Matsuoka (Tech), 8-4

No. 2 – Pardo/Golick (HU) def. Paul/Yu (Tech), 8-4

No. 3 – Simmons/Brown (Tech) def. Turnbow/Gara (HU), 8-6

2008 GSC Tennis Tournament results

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