Freshmen Lead the Bounce Back Wins at Alabama

Friday, October 28

Tuscaloosa, Ala.

All Day

University of Memphis

Alabama Invitational

Photo by: Joe Murphy

Oct 28, 2016 | Women's Tennis

Day one 2016 Roberta Alison Fall Classic

Youngsters come back and grab second set wins.

By: Tammy DeGroff

MEMPHIS – The University of Memphis women's tennis team got some work on resiliency on Friday, as three of the players who suffered first round singles losses bounced back to get a win in the second round to even their days at 1-1.

Freshman Clara Keuhn dropped her first match, 6-3, 6-3, and had dropped her first set of the second match, 6-4, before she came back on Samford's Amanda Kilduff for a 4-6, 6-4, 6-3 victory.

Fellow freshman Josephine Cao also dropped her opening match, 6-2, 6-2, but came back and picked up a quick 6-2, 6-1 win over Mercer's Marie Mottet to advance to the Saturday consolation finals in the Susan Carver Singles Draw.

Katherine Cao is also in her bracket's consolation final. She lost her opening match, 6-3, 6-3, to Ole Miss' Brooke Stevens, but downed DePaul's Florence Abboh, 7-6, 6-2. She will face Alabama State's Marine Cartier in the final on Saturday.

Senior Marta Morga got off to a strong start on Friday. After missing last weekend's ITA Ohio Valley Regional, Morga downed Troy's Efriliya Herlina, 6-3, 6-1. Teammate Anki Wind also won her first match, although she had to come back from a set down to get it. Auburn's Taylor Russo won the first set, 6-4, then Wind came back and dropped just four points over the next two sets, 6-3, 6-1, to advance to the semifinals. There, she fell to Georgia Tech's Kenya Jones, 6-1, 6-1.

Nancy Pate Draw
Brooke Stevens (Ole Miss) def. Katherine Cao (Memphis), 6-3, 6-3
Katherine Cao (Memphis) def. Florence Abboh (DePaul), 7-6, 6-2
Saturday: Katherine Cao vs. Marine Cartier (Alabama State)

Susan Carver Draw
Marlene Herrmann (UAB) def. Josephine Cao (Memphis), 6-2, 6-2
Josephine Cao (Memphis) def. Marie Mottet (Mercer), 6-2, 6-1
Saturday: Cao vs. Gabriela Lackova (Alabama State)

Patti Farmer Draw
Gabrielle Paul (Memphis) received a first round bye
Sara Lizariturry (Mississippi State) def. Gabrielle Paul, 6-3, 6-3
Saturday: Paul vs. Joanna Savva (Alabama)

Jenny Ketchum Draw
Marta Morga (Memphis) def. Efriliya Herlina (Troy), 6-3, 6-1
Allie Sanford (Ole Miss) def. Marta Morga (Memphis), 6-0, 6-3
Saturday: Morga vs. Caroline Hall (Chattanooga)

Becca Baum Draw
Maddie Pothoff (Alabama) def. Hanna Sohn (Memphis), 6-2, 6-3
Amina Mukhametshian (West Alabama) def. Hanna Sohn (Memphis), 6-2, 6-3
Saturday: Sohn receives a default due to injury

Selia Mathew Draw
Anki Wind (Memphis) def. Taylor Russo (Auburn), 4-6, 6-3, 6-1
Kenya Jones (Georgia Tech) def. Anki Wind (Memphis), 6-1, 6-1
Saturday: Wind vs. Lisa Rioux (Mississippi State)

Beth Marrow Draw
Alicia Rodriguez (Troy) def. Clara Keuhn (Memphis), 6-3, 6-3
Clara Kuehn (Memphis) def. Amanda Kilduff (Samford), 4-6, 6-4, 6-3
Saturday: Keuhn vs. Brankica Orlovic (Alabama State)

Doubles
Shelley Godwin Draw
Spielmann/Hinton (Auburn) def. Wind/Sohn (Memphis), 8-5
Saturday: Wind/Sohn vs. Axon/Russo (Auburn)

Nancy Harris Draw
Otsuka/Gizdova (Georgia Tech) def. Paul/Jo Cao (Memphis), 8-4
Saturday: Paul/J. Cao vs. Ohta/Herlina (Troy)

Lori Smith Draw
Stevens/Sanford (Ole Miss) def. Morga/Kat Cao (Memphis) , 8-7
Saturday: Morga/Kat Cao vs. Pothoff/Savva (Alabama)