College of Charleston
Winthrop
Cougars Knock Off No. 67 Winthrop In ITA Kick-Off Weekend Consolation Match
1/30/2012 1:04:00 AM | Women's Tennis
DURHAM, N.C. - The College of Charleston women's tennis team claimed its first win of the 2012 spring season by knocking off No. 67-ranked Winthrop, 4-2, in the ITA Kick-Off Weekend consolation match held on Sunday afternoon at the Sheffield Indoor Tennis Center.
The Cougars (1-2) countered back from an early 1-0 deficit to the four-time Big South Conference champion Eagles (3-4) with strong play throughout their singles lineup. Winthrop started off the match by winning two of three doubles to win the opening point.
Freshman Jenny Falcone (Davidson, N.C.) equalized the match at one-all by allowing only two games in a 6-1, 6-1 win over Winthrop's Giovanna Portioli at No. 5 singles.
Fellow freshman Samantha Maddox (Lexington, Ky.) and sophomore Kelly Kambourelis (Melbourne, Fla.) later put the Cougars up 3-1 with a pair of 6-4, 6-2, straight-set victories over Sandra Herrera and Ekin Gunaysu at the No. 4 and No. 3 lines respectively.
Andressa Garcia defeated senior Caroline Newman (Greensboro, N.C.) to get Winthrop within one point, 6-3, 6-1, at No. 2.
With two deciding matches still being played on the court (first team to four points in tournament play), junior Olivia McMillan (Mt. Pleasant, S.C.) clinched the match for the Cougars with a 7-5, 6-2 decision over Monica Aguado at No. 6.
"I was proud of our freshmen today," CofC Director of Tennis Angelo Anastopoulo said. "They really stepped it up in a pressure-type match and jumped on their opponents early. Jenny (Falcone) got stronger in the second set which helped us off-set the doubles point at one-all. Kelly (Kambourelis) played great, despite not feeling well. Samantha followed the game plan we set up for her and it worked to her advantage. Olivia brought it home for us today. It would have been easy to get nervous and close it out in a national tournament like this, but she played flawless in the second set and clinched it for us."
Host Duke defeated No. 68 Illinois to move on to the ITA National Team Indoor Championships to be hosted by Virginia in February. The Cougars previously opened the season 0-2 against a pair of top 15-ranked ACC and regional opponents in No. 14 Clemson, 5-2, on Jan. 22 and the third-ranked Blue Devils, 7-0, in the ITA opening round on Jan. 27.
"I'm so proud of our team," Anastopoulo said. "Everyone stepped up in the lineup and to come from behind and win in singles is big for us, especially with the difficulty of playing an indoor match with faster conditions. Winthrop is nationally-ranked and has beaten teams from the ACC and SEC this year. They have also won their conference tournament four years in a row and really gave Vanderbilt a close match in last year's NCAA Tournament. It's a very good victory for us."
The Cougars will next welcome back former players at the annual CofC Alumni Match to be held on Feb. 11 beginning at 10 a.m. (ET) at the CofC Tennis Center at Patriots Point in Mt. Pleasant, S.C.
COLLEGE OF CHARLESTON 4, (67) WINTHROP 2
Jan. 29, 2012
Sheffield Indoor Tennis Center
at Durham, N.C.
Attendance: 55
SINGLES
No. 1 - Yasmine Alkema (Winthrop) vs. Christin Newman (CofC), 4-6, 6-0, 1-1, DNF.
No. 2 - Andressa Garcia (Winthrop) def. Caroline Newman (CofC), 6-3, 6-1.
No. 3 - Kelly Kambourelis (CofC) def. Ekin Gunaysu (Winthrop), 6-4, 6-2.
No. 4 - Samantha Maddox (CofC) def. Sandra Herrera (Winthrop), 6-4, 6-2.
No. 5 - Jenny Falcone (CofC) def. Giovanna Portioli (Winthrop), 6-1, 6-1.
No. 6 - Olivia McMillan (CofC) def. Monica Aguado (Winthrop), 7-5, 6-2.
DOUBLES
No. 1 - Yasmine Alkema-Andressa Garcia (Winthrop) def. Samantha Maddox-Irene Viana (CofC), 8-1.
No. 2 - Kelly Kambourelis-Jenny Falcone (CofC) def. Giovanna Portioli-Ekin Gunaysu (Winthrop), 8-4.
No. 3 - Sandra Herrera-Monica Aguado (Winthrop) def. Caroline Newman-Christin Newman (CofC), 9-7.
ORDER OF FINISH
Doubles: 1, 2, 3
Singles: 5, 4, 3, 2, 6*
Players Mentioned
