College of Charleston
Clemson
No. 67 Cougars Fall to Ninth-Ranked Clemson in First Round of NCAA Championships
5/14/2010 8:00:00 PM | Women's Tennis
CLEMSON, S.C. - No. 67 College of Charleston battled ninth-ranked Clemson in 90-degree heat for just under 2 hours and 40 minutes on Friday before falling 4-0 in the first round of the NCAA Championships in Hoke Sloan Tennis Center.
The Cougars (20-10) finish their season with a bid to the NCAA Championship for the second straight year.
Clemson (23-5) won the doubles point with victories at No. 1 and 2, despite the Cougars showing signs of a rally late in the matches. Junior Kinsey Casey (Alpharetta, Ga./Northview) and freshman Irene Viana (Paris, France/Lycee de Montgeron) started off strong for the Cougars, winning the first game as the second seed, before Clemson's Laurieanne Henry and Keri Wong took the next four games for a 4-1 lead.
Top-seeded senior Holly Dowse (Tuncurry, Australia/Forster) and junior Emma Hayman (Wanganui, New Zealand/New Mexico) were bested by seventh-ranked Josipa Bek and Ina Hadzislimovic, 8-2. Following their loss Charleston began to rally at the No. 2 and 3 spots as Casey and Viana broke the Tigers' serve to pull within two games, 6-4. Henry and Wong eventually won 8-4 to clinch the doubles point for Clemson.
Seniors Laura Borza (Toronto, Ontario/Mary Ward Secondary) and Anna Lee Evans (Vilas, N.C./Watauga) rallied after dropping the first three games, pulling within three at 7-4, before their match was ended.
"We rebounded back from an uncharacteristic doubles point," head coach Angelo Anastopoulo said. "We played well in singles but Clemson really showed their talent and how well-coached they are. When it got tight in the four first sets, the Tigers were able to pull through."
CofC started strong in singles, with several players holding a two-game lead early in the first set. Junior Keely Mulligan was the only Cougar to win her first set, a 6-2 victory over Estefania Balda at the No. 6 spot. Casey and Borza stayed on the heels of their Tiger counterparts, dropping the first set 7-5, just one game shy of forcing a tiebreaker.
The Tigers turned up the heat in the second sets, claiming victories at the No. 1, 2, 3 and 5 spots. Mulligan was tied at four games apiece in the second set before her match was ended.
"Keely played really well to finish a great season in which she came back from an early hamstring injury," Anastopoulo said.
Although the team portion of the Cougar's season has finished, Dowse and Hayman will compete in the NCAA Individual Championships on May 26 at 10 a.m. The bracket will be released at the conclusion of the team tournament.
Singles
1. Josipa Bek (CU) def. Holly Dowse (CofC) 6-4, 6-2
2. Keri Wong (CU) def. Emma Hayman (CofC) 6-2, 6-0
3. Ina Hadziselimovic (CU) def. Caroline Newman (CofC) 6-3, 6-2
4. Nelly Ciolkowski (CU) vs. Kinsey Casey (CofC) 7-5, Unf.
5. Laurieanne Henry (CU) vs. Laura Borza (CofC) 7-5, 4-1 Unf.
6. Keely Mulligan (CofC) vs. Estefania Balda (CU) 6-2, 4-4 Unf.
Doubles
1. Josipa Bek/Ina Hadziselminovic (CU) def.Holly Dowse/Emma Hayman (CofC) 8-2
2. Laurieanna Henry/Keri Wong (CU) def. Kinsey Casey/Irene Viana (CofC) 8-4
3. Nelly Ciolkowski/Caroline Mangusson (CU) vs. Laura Borze/Anna Lee Evans (CofC) 7-4, Unf.
Players Mentioned
