Clinton, S.C. – The Presbyterian College women's tennis team earned a hard fought, 4-3, victory against USC Upstate on Thursday afternoon. The win moves the Blue Hose to 13-5 on the season, 5-1 against Big South opponents.
The Blue Hose started the match by clinching the doubles point. Beth Taylor and Katie Thompson earned a 6-2 win on court three, and after a loss on court two, the point would be decided by the number one pairings. The senior duo of Sydney Patton and Tracy Johnson rallied from a 4-3 deficit to take home a 6-4 win and secure the first point of the match for the Blue Hose
“Like most college tennis matches do, this one came down to the doubles point,” said head coach Steve Brooks. “After Upstate tied things at 1-1, that's when our seniors showed their leadership. They were able to win their final three games and we got that much needed point.”
Taylor was dominant on court four in singles play, only dropping one game in her straight-set victory. Johnson was the next to finish for PC, also winning in just a pair of sets on court two. Patton clinched the match for the Blue Hose on Bobby McKee Court with a straight-set win of her own right after Johnson's match was over.
“It was nice to win the first three matches in singles and clinch the victory,” Brooks said. “Upstate played well and fought us hard, so I'm happy we were able to come out on top.”
Full results of the match can be found below:
Singles competition
1. PATTON, Sydney (PC) def. SALDH, Victoria (UPSTW) 6-3, 6-3
2. JOHNSON, Tracy (PC) def. ACUNA, Noelia (UPSTW) 6-2, 6-4
3. HELLBERG, Elin (UPSTW) def. CALAIS, Samantha (PC) 7-6, 6-4
4. TAYLOR, Beth (PC) def. JARDIM, Maria (UPSTW) 6-0, 6-1
5. ZARAMA, Vale (UPSTW) def. LEEMAN, Jessica (PC) 6-4, 7-5
6. BOZA, Ana (UPSTW) def. THOMPSON, Katie (PC) 2-6, 7-5, 10-6
Doubles competition
1. PATTON, Sydney/JOHNSON, Tracy (PC) def. ZARAMA, Vale/JARDIM, Maria (UPSTW) 6-4
2. SALDH, Victoria/HELLBERG, Elin (UPSTW) def. CALAIS, Samantha/LEEMAN, Jessica (PC) 6-2
3. TAYLOR, Beth/THOMPSON, Katie (PC) def. ACUNA, Noelia/CEVALLOS, Gabriela (UPSTW) 6-2
The Blue Hose will return to action next Thursday when they host UNC Asheville. The match with the Bulldogs is slated to begin at 2:00 p.m.
