JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn. – Despite efforts to tie the match after falling into a deficit through doubles play, the Carson-Newman women's tennis team fell to the Knights of Bellarmine, 6-3, on Saturday afternoon.
The loss snaps the Eagles' winning streak at just three games. The Knights now lead the series 3-1 since it began in 2012 and are still without a blemish this season.
"If we can capitalize on our opportunities, we can be a really good team," head coach Jean Love said. "We did not do that today."
Carson-Newman (3-3) fell down 2-0 early in doubles play, starting with Jill Corsato-Owsianka (Düesseldorf, Germany) and Abby Reis (Des Moines, IA.) facing an 8-5 loss to Maggie Walroth and Ashley Jonathan at the top-spot.
Alisa Liashova (Ukraine) and Klara Vuckovic (Germany) lost a close one in the second-seeded match against Ava Ratcliff and Jennifer Skonieczny, taking the match to a tie tiebreaker that was won by the Knights' pair, 8-7.
The Eagles had to wait until the No. 3 seed match to pick up their first win of the day as Hannah Price (Knoxville, Tenn.) and Mallory Jackson (Erwin, Tenn.) defeated Mairin Cotter and Bess Fley. 8-6. The win makes three-straight for the duo, still undefeated in matches played together.
Bellarmine (10-0) opened singles play with a loss as Corsato-Owsianka won straight sets over Walroth, 6-3 and 7-5, breaking Walroth's two-match winning streak and tying the match 2-2. Corsato-Owsianka's win ties Patricia Guerreiro for the most career singles wins this decade with 38. The senior is now 38-22 in her career.
In third-seeded play, Jonathan defeated Price in straight sets, 6-1 and 7-6 before Bellarmine's Skonieczny also won in straight sets over Reis, 7-6, 6-4. The pair of wins pushed the Knights' into a 4-2 lead.
At the No. 6 spot, Cotter defeated Sydney Ledington (Corbin, Ky.) in 6-0 and 6-1 sets, solidifying the win for the Knights at 5-2. This was Ledington's first bit of singles play this season.
In the No. 4 match, Liashova defeated Marissa Kovach with a pair of set wins, 6-3 and 6-1. She now has a four-game win streak under her belt with a 5-1 record so far this season.
The Knights final win of the day came at the No. 5 spot in a match that was taken to a tiebreaker. Jackson lost the set 6-2 before defeating her in the second with a 7-6 decision, sending the match into a third-set tiebreaker that Ratcliff would win, 10-5.
Carson-Newman returns to action on March 10 as they host Converse, making up for the previously scheduled meeting between the two teams that was postponed due to inclement weather. That match will begin at 1 p.m. at the Buddy Catlett Tennis Complex.
