MT. PLEASANT, S.C. – The College of Charleston women's tennis team went undefeated through two matches on Wednesday, defeating Samford (8-5) 5-2 and Appalachian State (4-12) 4-3.
 
The Cougars got out to a powerful start in doubles play against the Bulldogs, with both court one and court two achieving 6-1 wins to capture the point. Mara Argyriou followed her strong performance in doubles play with an even stronger showing in singles, defeating Nadine de Villiers 6-1, 6-0 to put CofC up 2-0.
 
Rachel McNeely finished soon afterword with a 6-0, 6-4 win on court four, and Christi Woodson clinched the match by defeating Elsa Pool 6-2, 6-3 in the second flight to seal the win. The Bulldogs would answer back with a pair of wins in the first and sixth flights, but Anastasia Palaska had the last laugh of the match, beating Annika Hepp in three sets (6-3, 5-7, 10-7).
 
The College had a rockier start against the Mountaineers, mixing up their doubles pairings to provide Argyriou and Palaska with some rest. The teams split the top two flights, leaving the third flight to settle things. Sarah Zschunke and Sarah Jane Jones played Taylor Bygrave and Melissa Machado to a 6-6 stalemate, but App State got the better of the match 7-6(3) in the tiebreak to give the Mountaineers the doubles point.
 
The Cougars rallied back in singles play and started an avalanche of wins that started in the top flight and rolled through the next two. Liza Fieldsend defeated Heidi Swope 6-1, 7-6(1), followed by Woodson dispatching Rebecca Morse in the second flight (6-1, 6-3). Argyriou and Palaska then finished within seconds of one another, winning 6-2, 6-4 and 7-5, 6-3 respectively to guarantee the win for the Cougars.
 
Turner Yates fought valiantly in flight six, but a pair of tiebreak defeats allowed Megan Mullen to prevail 7-6(4), 1-6, 10-3. McNeely was on the adjacent court battling in a tiebreak of her own, but was bested 6-4, 7-6(8) by Melissa Machado.
 
The Cougars return to action on Saturday for Parents Weekend, when they will host both the Charlotte 49ers and SC State Bulldogs.
 
CofC 5, Samford 2
SINGLES
Ellie Gerlach (SAM) def. Liza Fieldsend (CofC) ~ 6-1, 3-6, 6-2
Christi Woodson (CofC) def. Elsa Pool (SAM) ~ 6-2, 6-3
Mara Argyriou (CofC) def. Nadine de Villiers (SAM) ~ 6-1, 6-0
Rachel McNeely (CofC) def. Arianna Beltrame (SAM) ~ 6-0, 6-4
Anastasia Palaska (CofC) def. Annika Hepp (SAM) ~ 6-3, 5-7, 10-7
Grace Jennings (SAM) def. Sarah Jane Jones (CofC) ~ 6-4, 6-4
Order of Finish: 3, 4, 2*, 6, 1, 5
DOUBLES
Fieldsend/McNeely (CofC) def. Gerlach/Hepp (SAM) ~ 6-1
Argyriou/Palaska (CofC) def. Beltrame/Pool (SAM) ~ 6-1
Jones/Zschunke (CofC) vs. de Villiers/Jennings (SAM) ~ 3-4, Unf.
Order of Finish: 1, 2*
 
CofC 4, App. State 3
SINGLES
Liza Fieldsend (CofC) def. Heidi Swope (APSU) ~ 6-1, 7-6(1)
Christi Woodson (CofC) def. Rebecca Morse (APSU) ~ 6-1, 6-3
Mara Argyriou (CofC) def. Gabrielle Wreder (APSU) ~ 6-2, 6-4
Melissa Machado (APSU) def. Rachel McNeely (CofC) ~ 6-4, 7-6(8)
Anastasia Palaska (CofC) def. Taylor Bygrave (APSU) ~ 7-5, 6-3
Megan Mullen (APSU) def. Turner Yates (CofC) ~ 7-6(4), 1-6, 10-3
Order of Finish: 1, 2, 3, 5*, 4, 6
DOUBLES
Fieldsend/Woodson (CofC) def. Wreder/Mullen (APSU) ~ 7-5
Swope/Zupan (APSU) def. McNeely/Yates (CofC) ~ 6-3
Bygrave/Machado (APSU) def. Jones/Zschunke (CofC) ~ 7-6(3)
Order of Finish: 2, 1, 3*