HAMMOND, La. – The Southeastern Louisiana women's tennis team fell just short in a thrilling 4-3 loss to Abilene Christian in the Southland Conference opener for both teams Friday afternoon at the Southeastern Tennis Complex.
The Lions (3-6, 0-1 Southland) took the doubles point to take the early advantage. ACU (5-7, 1-0 Southland) rebounded by taking four of six matches in singles play, which featured three three-set matches.
"I'm proud of the way we fought today and we played with great effort," Southeastern head coach
Jason Hayes commented. "ACU just played the big points a little better today. This match gives our team its first look at what we can expect in Southland Conference play. It was a hard-fought match featuring exciting tennis and great sportsmanship."
SLU mowed through the visitors in short order in doubles play. On No. 2,
Ceci Mercier and
Vicky Scholz, teaming for the first time, defeated the ACU pair of Autumn Bellow and Ileana Mocciola, 6-2.
Putri Insani and
Ximena Yanez clinched the doubles point for the Lions with a 6-1 win over Sarah Adams and Nini Memishishi on the top court.
The Wildcats came roaring back in singles play, taking a 3-1 lead with straight-set victories. On No. 2, Memishishi defeated Southeastern's
Vicky Scholz, 6-1, 6-1. Allison Stewart gave Abilene Christian the lead with a 6-2, 6-2 victory over
Flory Bierma, on No. 5. Jordan Henry put ACU on the verge of victory with a 6-1, 6-3 win over
Ceci Mercier on Court 4.
SLU would not go away, quietly, however. After dropping a tough first set, Insani dominated the final two sets to pull the Lady Lions within, 4-2. The Lion freshman picked up her team-high fourth singles win of the spring with a 4-6, 6-0, 6-1 win over Adams on the No. 1 court.
Yanez (2-0) rallied to earn a three-set victory over Bellow on No. 3 to tie the score. Trailing 5-2 in the third set, Yanez kept the Lions alive with a 6-1, 2-6, 7-5 victory.
The match came down to the No. 6 singles court. Mocciola outlasted SLU's
Katya Cornejo, 6-0, 4-6, 6-4, to secure the win for the Wildcats.
Southeastern will be back in action on Sunday, hosting UIW at 11 a.m. at the Southeastern Tennis Complex.
40 LOVE CLUB / S CLUB
Fans interested in becoming active supporters of the tennis program are encouraged to join the 40 Love Club. Lion tennis alums are encouraged to join the exclusive S Club, which is restricted to Southeastern athletic letter winners.
All membership fees and donations to both the 40 Love Club and S Club (tennis) are available for the exclusive use of the Southeastern tennis program. Membership information is available by contacting the Lion Athletics Association at laa@southeastern.edu or (985) 549-5091 or visiting www.LionUp.com.
SOCIAL MEDIA
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