Women's tennis falls in marathon match

Friday, February 15

Memphis, Tenn.

3 p.m.

University of Memphis

Missouri

Photo by: Matthew Smith

Feb 15, 2019 | Women's Tennis

Box Score

MEMPHIS, Tenn. – In a match that last four hours and 35 minutes, the Memphis women's tennis team came up shy in a 4-3 marathon to the visiting Missouri Tigers Friday evening at the Racquet Club of Memphis.

Despite falling behind early, the home Tigers rallied in singles to force a 3-3 tie. In the night's deciding match, Missouri claimed a late tiebreak to seal the win.

"What an intense finish. To have it go 7-6 in the third set for the last match on, that's what it's all about," Head Coach Hayden Perez said. "I'm not in a bad mood after this because we put it all on the line. We competed hard. That's why we play."

Although the Tigers dropped the opening double point, Memphis (2-5) played perhaps its best doubles contest of the young season. Tiger sophomore duo Laura Bente and Lina Hohnhold were first off with a 6-4 win. Missouri (7-1) evened the point with a tiebreak win on court 1, before the visiting Tigers then sealed the early advantage with a tiebreak win on court 2.

Missouri began to build on the momentum as the SEC foe claimed five of the six first sets in singles play, but Memphis would respond.

Missouri extended its lead to 2-0 in the night's lone straight-set match, but the Tigers answered back when Katherine Cao rallied to defeat Taylor Gruber in three sets.

After Missouri established a 3-1 lead, Memphis began to swing momentum once more when freshman Hannah Davies won her final two sets. Bente, who won the final three games of the second set, won her match's final nine games with a 5-7, 7-5, 6-0 win and evened the contest at 3-3.

At the top spot, sophomore Alisha Reayer claimed the only first-set win for the Tigers with a tiebreak victory, but Missouri rallied and took a hard-fought tiebreak in the final frame to take the match.

"That's great to see. They were so resilient," Perez added of his team's three-set comebacks. "That speaks to their mental toughness, which is something we are working on as well. I'm super proud of the efforts. It didn't go our way at the very end, but I'm so proud of the kids."

The Tigers will remain home to host Minnesota on Sunday. First serve from the Racquet Club of Memphis is set for 10 a.m.

RESULTS
Singles
1. Mackenzy Middlebrooks (MIZ) def. Alisha Reayer (MEM), 6-7(3), 6-4, 7-6(5)
2. Laura Bente (MEM) def. Serena Nash (MIZ), 5-7, 7-5, 6-0
3. Lisa Fukutoku (MIZ) def. Aleks Topalovic (MEM), 7-5, 7-5
4. Hannah Davies (MEM) def. Ellie Wright (MIZ), 4-6, 6-4, 6-3
5. Vivien Abraham (MIZ) def. Lina Hohnhold (MEM), 6-4, 2-6, 6-3
6. Katherine Cao (MEM) def. Taylor Gruber (MIZ), 1-6, 6-4, 6-3
(Order of finish: 3, 6, 5, 4, 2, 1)

Doubles
1. Middlebrooks/Wright (MIZ) def. Reayer/Topalovic (MEM), 7-6(1)
2. Nash/Goldin (MIZ) def. K. Cao/Davies (MEM), 7-6(7)
3. Bente/Hohnhold (MEM) def. Gruber/Fukutoku (MIZ), 6-4
(Order of finish: 3, 1, 2)