College of Charleston
UMBC
Senior Leadership Propels Women?s Tennis Past UMBC
3/20/2015 10:09:00 PM | Women's Tennis
CHARLESTON, S.C. – An early lead and great performances by all three of College of Charleston's seniors helped propel the Cougars past Maryland-Baltimore County, 5-2, on Friday afternoon at Patriots Point Tennis Center.
“That was a tough 'W' against a very good Maryland-Baltimore County team,” Anastopoulo said. “I think the conditions helped us as we've had a little more time outside than they have. They did a really good job of pushing us to the limit. It was two teams fighting their hearts out there.”
CofC (5-12, 0-1 CAA) had an unplanned day of rest in the middle of Charleston Head Coach Angelo Anastopoulo's “hell week,” when rain forced the cancellation of the team's match against No. 29 Oklahoma. College of Charleston returned to the courts today determined to even its record on the week to 2-2.
The Cougars' trio of seniors – Grace Baker, Jenny Falcone and Samantha Maddox, each performed well in doubles and singles competition to help CofC outlast the Retrievers' tenacious play in singles.
Charleston won the doubles point for the fifth time this year with victories on courts two and three. Maddox and partner Brooke McAmis earned a 6-1 win at No. 2 to move to 4-4 on the season. Sophomore Mara Argyriou teamed up with Baker for the first time this season, pulling out a 6-2 win over the Retrievers' Laura Ambrozic and Isabel Aldunate. The team has gone on to win four of five matches when earning the doubles point this season.
In singles, Falcone won her second straight at the No. 3 spot and third in a row with a 6-2, 6-3 victory over Aldunate. Falcone, who was named the CAA Women's Tennis Doubles Team of the week along with her partner Katherine Schofield, now boasts a 9-8 mark on the year, including a 2-1 record at the No. 3 position.
Maddox struggled in her first set against UMBC's top-seeded Madlena Kurasz, but was able to escape with a 7-5 win. She cruised to a 6-1 triumph in the second set to advance the Cougars' lead to 3-0 and pick up her second straight win at the top spot.
“Samantha continues to play the way we expect her to play and she is really coming into her own,” Anastopoulo said. “She did everything the right way today with her enthusiasm and did her best to keep everyone involved in the match. She really exhibited great senior leadership today.
Baker clinched the match for her team with her third win of the season and first at the No. 4 spot. After edging Hanna Victorsson, 7-5, in the first set, she came back from a 2-1 deficit to reclaim the lead at 4-3 and ultimately win the set, 6-4.
“I'm extremely proud of Grace,” Anastopoulo said. “She did a terrific job of responding today and closing it out in a two-set victory at No. 4, which she normally doesn't play.”
Freshman Sarah Jane Jones was the only non-senior to win her singles match, a three-set victory at on court five. After dominating her Ambrozic 6-0 in the first set, she stumbled in the second set to give up a 6-3 decision. Regrouping with her coaches, she battled back to a 7-5 third-set victory to earn her fourth collegiate singles win.
UMBC needed tiebreaks in both of its singles wins, at the No. 2 and 6 spots. The Retrievers drop to 3-9 on the season.
College of Charleston will face a familiar opponent on Saturday morning, facing former Southern Conference mate Davidson. The Wildcats are 8-4 on the season, having won their last two games against George Washington and St. Joseph's. Freshman Ava Todd, who won her third straight Atlantic 10 Rookie Performer of the Week honor earlier this week, leads Davidson with an 11-match win streak going into Friday afternoon's match with Massachusetts. Five different members of the Wildcats have been honored a total of 10 times by the Atlantic 10 conference this season.
The 10 a.m. matchup is part of CofC's Parents Weekend. In addition to several of the players' families, Anastopoulo expects to have the Family Circle Cup ball boys in attendance.
“We're going to have a lot of people out here so it should be a great day for college tennis,” Anastopoulo said.
Fans unable to attend Saturday's match in person can follow the action in real time on CofC's Live Stats.
Singles:
1. Samantha Maddox (CofC) def. Madlena Kurasz (UMBC) 7-5, 6-1
2. Mariami Dolashvili (UMBC) def. Katherine Schofield (CofC) 7-5, 7-6 (5)
3. Jenny Falcone (CofC) def. Isabel Aldunate (UMBC) 6-2, 6-3
4. Grace Baker (CofC) def. Hanna Victorsson (UMBC) 7-5, 6-4
5. Sarah Jane Jones (CofC) def. Laura Ambrozic (UMBC) 6-0, 3-6, 7-5
6. Shamon Cleary (UMBC) def. Helena Nyikos (CofC) 7-6, 6-23
Order of Finish: 3, 1, 6, 4, 2, 5
Doubles:
1. Jenny Falcone/Katherine Schofield (CofC) vs. Shamon Cleary/Mariami Dolashvili (UMBC) 5-5, unf.
2. Samantha Maddox/Brooke McAmis/Charlotte Tonjann/Hanna Victorsson (UMBC) 6-1
3. Mara Argyriou/Grace Baker (CofC) def. Laura Ambrozic/Isabel Aldunate (UMBC) 6-2
Order of Finish: 2, 3
Players Mentioned
