STARKVILLE, Miss. - Middle Tennessee women's tennis improved to 3-1 on the season with a 4-3 victory over Mississippi State (2-2) Saturday in McCarthy Gymnasium.
Middle Tennessee gained the opening point of the day, one that would turn out to provide the winning margin, by securing wins at the top two doubles positions. The Lady Raider duo of Jennifer Klaschka and Laura McNamara posted an 8-3 win over Lady Bulldogs Anastasia Kugakolova and Yumi Ueda at No. 2.
MT's Manon Kruse and Carien Venter, ranked 31st nationally, then followed with an 8-4 triumph over MSU's tandem of Marcelle Hirt and Magdi Rekasi at No. 1. The No. 3 position was not played. In singles, the teams split the first four matches complete. Kugakolova and Tarryn Rudman were victorious for MSU. The sophomore Kugakolova held off Klaschka for a 7-6(5), 7-5 win at the No. 2 spot, while Rudman was near-perfect in her 6-1, 6-0 triumph over McNamara at No. 4.
For Middle Tennessee, Kruse and Venter were winners at Nos 1. and 3, respectively. Kruse, ranked 54th in the country in singles, staved off an upset bid from MSU's Hirt 7-6(2), 6-3 at the top position. Venter was a 6-4, 6-1 winner over Rekasi.
With the Lady Raiders leading 3-2, State would need to register victories in the final two matches of the day for the comeback, but would come up one shy.
Middle Tennessee's Ana Maria Cibils clinched the Lady Raider win by downing State's Justyna Switala 6-3, 6-2 at No. 5. In the final contest of the day, MSU senior Yumi Ueda posted a 6-1, 7-5 triumph over Emily Vest.
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