GOLDEN SUNS SPLIT ITS WEEKEND TENNIS MATCHES IN ALABAMA

        RUSSELLVILLE, Arkansas – Arkansas Tech Golden Suns Tennis returned to action this past weekend as they split their two matches in the state of Alabama.

Tech opened the weekend with a hard-fought 5-4 loss on Saturday at West Alabama, before posting a 9-0 win on Sunday at Stillman College in Tuscaloosa, Ala.

With the split, Tech improves to 4-2 on the season and is 1-2 in the South Region.

Against West Alabama, Tech opened the match by taking No. 1 and No. 2 doubles, before UWA prevented a Golden Suns sweep by scoring an 8-2 win at No. 3 doubles.

In singles play, the Lady Tigers, who improved to 7-1 with the win, collected wins at No. 1, No. 2, No. 3 and No. 4 to hold the Golden Suns and post the win. UWA needed three sets to win at No. 1 and No. 2 singles. Junior Kristen Brown (Winona, Texas) and senior Whitney Simmons (Pottsville, Ark.) and posted Tech’s wins in singles at No. 5 and 6 respectively.

In Sunday’s match against Stillman, the Golden Suns posted a shutout as they won at No. 1 and No. 2 doubles by 8-0 scores and then won all singles matches, but No. 6, which Tech won by default by identical 6-0, 6-0 scores. In addition, Tech won at No. 3 doubles by default.

Tech will return to action on Wednesday, March 5, when they travel to Siloam Springs, Ark., to face John Brown University in a 3 p.m. match, before facing the University of Ozarks in Clarksville, Ark., on Thursday at 3 p.m.

Results

West Alabama 5, Tech 4

Singles

No 1. – Nichole Shannahan (UWA) def. Anna Carson (Tech), 5-7, 6-4, 6-4

No. 2 – Mariana Freita (UWA) def. Saki Matsuoka (Tech), 6-3, 3-6, 6-4

No. 3 – Chenge Tsapayi (UWA) def. Puja Paul (Tech), 6-2, 6-3

No. 4 – Brittany Williams (UWA) def. Michelle Yu (Tech), 6-3, 7-5

No. 5 – Kristen Brown (Tech) def. Amanda Morgan (UWA), 6-1, 6-0

No. 6 – Whitney Simmons (Tech) def. Rachel Hardaway (UWA), 6-0, 4-6, 6-0

Doubles

No. 1 – Carson/Matsuoka (Tech) def. Freitas/Tsapayi (UWA), 8-4

No. 2 – Paul/Yu (Tech) def. Morgan/Hardaway (UWA), 8-3

No. 3 – Shannahan/Williams (UWA) def. Brown/Simmons (Tech), 8-2

         Tech 9, Stillman 0

Singles

No 1. – Saki Matsuoka (Tech) def. Ashley McCullough (Stillman), 6-0, 6-0

No. 2 – Puja Paul (Tech) def. Adrienne Freeman (Stillman), 6-0, 6-0

No. 3 – Michelle Yu (Tech) def. Rosine Komoyombi (Stillman), 6-0, 6-0

No. 4 – Kristen Brown (Tech) def. Andrea McCorvey (Stillman), 6-0, 6-0

No. 5 – Whitney Simmons (Tech) def. Lauren Thomas (Stillman), 6-0, 6-0

No. 6 – Anna Carson (Tech) won by default

Doubles

No. 1 – Paul/Yu (Tech) def. McCullough/Freeman (Stillman), 8-0

No. 2 – Simmons/Brown (Tech) def. Thomas/McCorvey (Stillman), 8-0

No. 3 – Carson/Matsuoka (Tech) won by default

-- Tech Athletics --