MURFREESBORO, Tenn. - Marlene Chemin and Claudia Szabo both won in singles and Hala Sufi lost in a third-set tiebreaker, but 49th-ranked South Alabama did just enough to defeat Middle Tennessee, 5-2, Monday in women's tennis action at the Buck Bouldin Tennis Center.
The Blue Raiders (4-10) lost two close doubles matches before picking up two singles victories and Sufi's three-set loss.
"There were some positives and negatives [Monday] and things we improved on after Saturday's match," head coach Alison Ojeda said. "Marlene really played well and Claudia dominated her match against a girl she lost in a tiebreak to last year. Hala played well in the second set but gave it all back in the tiebreaker."
South Alabama's Rita Freitas and Jelena Krivacevic defeated Ann-Kristin Siljestrom and Pooja Kommireddi, 8-2, at No. 2 before USA's Adrianna Solarova and Sylvanie Spangenberg won 8-5 over Sufi and Szabo at No. 1. Jaguars Michaela Babicova and Dijana Stanic took care of Marlene Chemin and Stephanie Parkison at No. 3, 8-5.
Five of the six singles matches were in straight sets, with only Sufi's outing needing the final set.
Babicova, ranked 112th nationally, defeated Siljestrom, 6-0, 6-0, and Stanic won 6-1, 6-0, over Parkison at No. 5. But Chemin came back with a 6-1, 6-2, triumph against Yana Bokareva at No. 3.
Freitas defeated Kommireddi, 6-2, 6-0, before Solarova, ranked 47th, outlasted 72nd-ranked Sufi, 6-1, 2-6, 10-4, at No. 1. Szabo then defeated Krivacevic, 6-2, 6-2, at No. 4.
Middle Tennessee's six-match homestand continued Friday against UAB at 2 p.m. at the Buck Bouldin Tennis Center.
#49 South Alabama 5, Middle Tennessee 2
SINGLES
1. (47) Adrianna Solarova (USA) def. (72) Hala Sufi (MT), 6-1, 2-6, 10-4
2. (112) Michaela Babicova (USA) def. Ann-Kristin Siljestrom (MT), 6-0, 6-0
3. Marlene Chemin (MT) def. Yana Bokareva (USA), 6-1, 6-2
4. Claudia Szabo (MT) def. Jelena Krivacevic (USA), 6-2, 6-1
5. Dijana Stanic (USA) def. Stephanie Parkison (MT), 6-1, 6-0
6. Rita Freitas (USA) def. Pooja Kommireddi (MT), 6-2, 6-0
Order of Finish: 2,5,3,6*,1,4
DOUBLES
1. Solarova-Sylvanie Spangenberg (USA) def. Sufi-Szabo (MT), 8-5
2. Freitas-Krivacevic (USA) def. Siljestrom-Parkison (MT), 8-2
3. Babicova-Stanic (USA) def. Chemin-Kommireddi (MT), 8-5
Order of Finish: 2,3*,1
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