HATTIESBURG, Miss. – The No. 1 doubles tandem of
Putri Insani and
Flory Bierma picked up a victory to highlight the Southeastern Louisiana University women's tennis team's performance in a 4-0 loss to Southern Miss in the spring opener for both teams Saturday afternoon at the Southeastern Tennis Complex.
Insani and Bierma also highlighted the singles effort for SLU (0-1). Insani was a game away from a straight-set victory on the No. 1 singles court, while Bierma had split sets on No. 4 when the match was stopped. Freshman
Polina Paunova held a second-set lead on No. 3 in her collegiate debut.
Southeastern head coach
Jason Hayes was pleased with how his team debuted. The Lions were missing projected starters
Kate Oborina and
Sonya Kanarskaya due to injury.
"We came out with a great attitude from the start against a tough Southern Miss team," Hayes commented. "We did everything right today and when we're healthy and back at full strength we're going to be a very strong team."
In doubles play, Insani and Bierma handled the USM pair of Sarah Medik and Monique Burton, 6-2, on the top doubles court. However, the Golden Eagles earned wins on the other two courts to take a 1-0 lead.
Insani was on the verge of earning a win on the No. 1 singles court, leading Ebru Zeynep Yazgan, 6-4, 5-2, when the match was decided. Bierma took the opening set, 6-3, from Suhana Das on No. 4. On No. 3, Paunova bounced back from dropping the opening set and held a 4-2 second-set advantage over Burton. Straight-set wins on courts 2,5 and 6 gave the hosts the win.
Southeastern will be back in action next Saturday, traveling to McComb, Mississippi for a 1 p.m. nonconference match versus Wyoming.
Southern Miss 4, Southeastern 0
Singles:
No. 1
Putri Insani (SLU) vs. Ebru Zeynep Yazgan (USM) 6-4, 5-2, unfinished
No. 2 Sarah Medik (USM) def.
Polina Sleptsova (SLU) 6-1, 6-0
No. 3
Polina Paunova (SLU) vs. Monique Burton (USM) 2-6, 4-2, unfinished
No. 4
Flory Bierma (SLU) vs. Suhana Das (USM) 6-3, 0-6, unfinished
No. 5 Claire Tardival (USM) def.
Bogi Csordas (SLU) 6-1, 6-1
No. 6 Alyssa Richter (USM) def.
Jordan Burdett (SLU) 6-1, 6-0
Doubles:
No. 1 Insani/Bierma (SLU) def. Medik/Burton (USM) 6-2
No. 2 Das/Tardival (USM) def. Csordas/Paunova (SLU) 6-2
No. 3 Yazgan/Richter (USM) def. Sleptsova/Burdett (SLU) 6-2
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.
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