After two tough losses since the beginning of SEC play, the Tigers proved they can hang against SEC competition with a close win over Mississippi State
The Missouri tennis team hosted two SEC matches this past weekend. On Friday, Feb. 28, Missouri faced off against No. 17 Alabama before playing No. 55 Mississippi State on Sunday, March 2.
Friday’s doubles action started with two losses for Missouri. On court one, Alabama’s pairing of junior Klara Milicevic and graduate Sara Nayar took down Missouri senior Inah Canete and freshman Korina Roso, 6-3. On court two, Missouri’s graduate Lailaa Bashir and freshman Zoe Lazar also came up short, falling 6-2 to senior Petra Sedlackova and sophomore Priya Nelson. Senior Mary Brumfield and sophomore Andrea Artimedi held a 5-4 Tigers lead on court three against graduate Maria Martinez Vaquero and junior Maria Andrienko, but the match ended unfinished.
In singles, Alabama continued to outclass Missouri, winning three out of the four matchups. Bashir earned the Tigers’ only win of the day, prevailing over Martinez-Vaquero 6-2, 6-4, on court three. Brumfield played a close match on court one against Sedlackova but lost 6-4, 6-3. Canete took Andrienko the distance on court two, taking the first set 6-2 before dropping the second 6-1. After falling 0-1 in the third set, the game ended unfinished. In the end, Missouri lost the duel, with a final score of 4-1.
On Sunday, Missouri set out to bounce back against Mississippi State and earn their first conference win of the season. Canete and Roso started the day off with a match on doubles court one, falling to sophomore Athina Pitta and freshman Gianna Oboniye 6-2. Bashir and Lazar equalized with a win on court two, defeating sophomores Jayna Clemens and Chiara Di Genova 7-5. Brumfield and Artimedi earned another point for the Tigers on court three, taking a 6-2 win over senior Alessia Tagliente and freshman Emma Cohen.
In singles play, Lazar led off with a 7-5, 6-2, victory over freshman Carolina Troiano on court four. Canete followed with a hard-fought 7-5, 7-6 match on court two, claiming the 7-2 win in the tie-breaker to take down senior Maria Rizzolo. Brumfield and Bashir both dropped close games in the third set, but Artimedi clinched a 6-3, 6-4 win for the Tigers against Di Genova on court five.
Missouri’s win over Mississippi State is its first ranked and first SEC win of the season. The Tigers now boast a 10-3 (1-2 SEC) record and have proven they can compete against conference opponents. Next, they headed to Norman, Oklahoma to play the No. 12 Sooners at 5 p.m. on Friday, March 7.
Edited by Colin Simmons l csimmons@themaneater.comEdited by Natalie Kientzy | nkientzy@themaneater.comEdited by Annie Goodykoontz | agoodykoontz@themaneater.com