GOLDEN SUNS TENNIS CLOSES OUT GULF SOUTH CONFERENCE PLAY WITH ROAD LOSS MONDAY AT HENDERSON STATE

        ARKADELPHIA, Arkansas – Arkansas Tech Golden Suns Tennis closed out Gulf South Conference action here Monday with a 9-0 loss to Henderson State.

With Monday’s loss, Tech falls to 6-16 overall on the season and 1-5 in the GSC, while Henderson State, the ninth ranked team in the latest NCAA Division II South Region rankings, improved to 11-7 overall and 3-2 in the GSC.

In Monday’s match, Tech struggled all around as they were held to 23 points in nine matches.

Tech opened the match by dropping all three singles matches, including losing by identical 8-0 scores at both No. 1 and No. 3. Tech’s No. 2 doubles team of sophomores Tahnee Crous (Keller, Texas) and Kristen Burgess (Winona, Texas) fell 8-6 to HSU’s No. 2 doubles team of Meredith Massey and Rebecca Staton.

Meanwhile, in singles play, HSU won all six singles matches as they held Tech to 16 points. The closest matches came at No. 4 and No. 5 singles. At No. 4, Burgess fell 6-3, 6-3 to Staton and at No. 5, junior Whitney Simmons (Pottsville, Ark.) lost 6-2, 6-2 to HSU’s Shelley Westerfield.

The other four singles matches featured identical 6-0, 6-0 scores at both the No. 1 and No. 6 spot, while junior Karissa Lentz (Norco, Calif.) fell 6-1, 6-1 at No. 2 and junior Puja Paul (Kolkata, West Bengal India) fell 6-4, 6-1 at No. 3.  

RESULTS

Henderson State 9, Tech 0

SINGLES

No. 1  – Iustina Gasca-Silav (HSU) def. Tahnee Crous (Tech), 6-0, 6-0

No. 2  – Melissa West (HSU) def. Karissa Lentz (Tech), 6-1, 6-1

No. 3  – Meredith Massey (HSU) def. Puja Paul (Tech), 6-4, 6-1

No. 4  – Rebecca Staton (HSU) def. Kristen Burgess (Tech), 6-3, 6-3

No. 5  – Shelley Westerfield (HSU) def. Whitney Simmons (Tech), 6-2, 6-2

No. 6  – Megan Harness (HSU) def. Renee Malcuit (Tech), 6-0, 6-0

DOUBLES

No. 1  – West/Westerfield (HSU) def. Lentz/Paul (Tech), 8-0

No. 2  – Massey/Staton (HSU) def. Crous/Burgess (Tech), 8-6

No. 3  – Gasca-Silav/Harness (HSU) def. Simmons/Malcuit (Tech), 8-0 

-- Tech Athletics --