Miami University
Murray State
RedHawks Dominate Murray State 6-1
2/18/2018 12:00:00 AM | Women's Tennis
Feb. 18, 2018
HAMILTON, Ohio - The Miami University women's tennis team turned in what may have been their strongest performance of the season when they defeated the visiting Racers of Murray State by a score of 6-1 at Riverside Athletic Club Sunday. With the victory, the RedHawks improve their record to 4-5, and Murray State falls to 1-3.
For the third match in a row, Miami found success in the doubles section of the match. The duo of Nelli Ponomareva and Melati Devi, playing in just their fifth match together, appears to have been a success as they set the tone with a quick 6-2 victory. Despite a Racer win on the second court, the 'Hawks we're still able to take the doubles point when Emily Struble and Milana Lysova combined for a 6-2 win of their own.
The day's singles matches would see these dominant performances continue, as the 'Hawks claimed five of six. Struble, playing on court three, breezed through the first set 6-0 and claimed the match after her opponent retired. Her doubles partner followed with another convincing win as Lysova made short work of Murray State's Sharapova, winning 6-2, 6-1.
The RedHawks victory would be sealed just minutes later when Ponomareva won a tough second set to claim her match 6-2, 6-4 at the top of the lineup. Freshmen Priyana Kalita and Lena Babunski joined the club with two-set wins: Kalita rolled to a 6-4, 6-2 win while Babunski knocked off MSU's Bjork 6-2, 7-6. In the only match to go the distance, Makenzie Myers battled back from a 5-2 third-set hole, but ultimately fell in an extremely close tiebreak, giving the Racers their only point.
The match's full results can be found below.
The Red and White will be in Tennessee next weekend, taking on East Tennessee State on Friday and Western Kentucky Saturday. They will follow that up with a March 3 match at Indiana to round out the non-conference schedule. Be sure to follow @MiamiOH_Tennis on Twitter for updates.
Doubles:
1. Nelli Ponomareva & Melati Devi (Miami) def. Chang/Sharapova (Murray St.) 6-2
2. A. Loncarevic/Hadzic (Murray St.) def. Priyana Kalita & Lena Babunski (Miami) 6-1
3. Emily Struble & Milana Lysova (Miami) def. Bjork/Masson (Murray St.) 6-2
Order of finish: 2, 1, 3
Singles:
1. Nelli Ponomareva (Miami) def. Claire Chang (Murray St.) 6-2, 6-4
2. Milana Lysova (Miami) def. Stasya Sharapova (Murray St.) 6-2, 6-1
3. Emily Struble (Miami) def. Aarja Chakraborty (Murray St.) 6-0
4. Priyana Kalita (Miami) def. Sara Loncarevic (Murray St.) 6-4, 6-2
5. Lena Babunski (Miami) def. Sara Bjork (Murray St.) 6-2, 7-6
6. Jeanne Masson (Murray St.) def. Makenzie Myers (Miami) 6-2, 2-6, 7-6 (8-6)
Order of finish: 3, 2, 1, 4, 5, 6
Note: Chakraborty (Murray State court 3) withdrew after first set
Players Mentioned
