Doubles sweep, clutch tiebreaker wins give Eagles the edge over Railsplitters

Doubles sweep, clutch tiebreaker wins give Eagles the edge over Railsplitters

HARROGATE, Tenn. -- The Carson-Newman women's tennis team (4-4) was able to use the momentum from their doubles wins in their singles play and earned a win against the Lincoln Memorial Railsplitters (7-4) on Wednesday taking the match 4-3.

No. 3 doubles was the only close match on that side of competition as No. 1 and No. 2 doubles showed domination against the 'Splitters. The freshman/senior duo of Ana Carla Resende (Minas Gerais, Brazil) and Ali Harris (Crossville, Tenn.) competed at the No. 1 position against Johanna Delisse and Kristin Vogel showing no sweat as they won 6-1. At No. 2, sophomores Hannah Price (Knoxville, Tenn.) and Abby Reis (Des Moines, IA) defeated Julia squared (Julia Loos and Julia Valls) with the same score as their teammates, 6-1. The No. 3 doubles was a bit more exciting as juniors Alisa Liashova (Ukraine) and Klara Vuckovic (Germany) allowed Kiersten Waugh and Amanda Dahlstrom to get close but slammed the door shut at the last second as they won in a tiebreaker 7-6 (8-6).

Ahead of the 'Splitters with a solid 1-0 score after doubles, the Eagles moved into singles play that proved to be slightly more challenging. 

Resende seemed to take her match with ease against Delisse winning 6-0, 6-4 at No. 1 singles improving her record to 5-2 on the season and continuing her win streak pushing it to four. Price dropped her first set in a tiebreaker 7-6 (10-5) and seemed to let the misstep run into her second set as she fell to Loos 6-2. The score now 2-1 in C-N's favor, Reis finished third out of the singles at No. 5 coming out on top against Waugh. The two battled it out neck and neck up to the very end. Reis clinched the first set 7-5 and held off the comeback by her opponent to grab the second one in a tiebreaker 7-6 (10-2).

With the end in sight, and the Eagles just one singles match away from winning the match as a whole, Harris stepped up to the plate and defeated Valls at No. 2. Dropping the first set 6-4, she pulled herself together to come back and win the second 6-1 with a vengeance. The two were back and forth and took the third to a tiebreaker where everyone watching was on the edge of their seats. Ultimately, Harris came out with the win taking the third set 7-6 (10-4) and thus the match for the Eagles.

At the No. 4 and No. 6 positions, Liashova and Vuckovic fell to Vogel and Dahlstrom both in two sets. Liashova was defeated 6-4, 6-4 and Vuckovic 6-3, 6-2. But not to worry, with the win the Eagles move to 4-4 on the season and set their sights now on Queens on Saturday on their home courts. 

For more information, updates and results check back on cneagles.com.

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