CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. — WKU Tennis dropped a heartbreaker to Chattanooga on Friday evening by a score of 5-2. Although the Mocs won by three points, the team result could have gone either way with the Lady Toppers being edged in two singles matches decided by close third sets.
With the loss, WKU falls to 1-5 on the season, while Chattanooga improved to a perfect 5-0.
The Lady Toppers began the night with a 1-0 lead after earning the doubles point for the fourth time in six matches so far this season. The No. 1 pair of Lisa Friess and Cora-Lynn von Dungern pulled out a 6-4 win after the No. 2 duo of Laura Bernardos and Samantha Martinez earned a 6-0 sweep over the Mocs. Bernardos improved to 4-1 this season in doubles play, including a 3-1 mark with Martinez as her partner.
After three WKU players dropped singles matches in straight sets, the team faced a 3-1 deficit. But Bernardos, Tristen Bryant-Otake and Lauren Joch all saw their matchups go to three sets. At the No. 3 position, Bryant-Otake fell in a third-set tiebreaker as Chattanooga clinched the team match. Minutes later at the No. 2 spot, Bernardos fell 7-5 in the final set.
But as the No. 5 player, Joch took care of her opponent 6-1 in the final set to give the Lady Toppers a singles point and cap the night with a 5-2 team loss. It was the Irmo, S.C., native's first singles win of the season; she previously had one loss and one unfinished match at the No. 6 spot.
"We played an excellent match on the road against a very experienced UTC team," head coach Greg Davis said. "Lauren played well and got the win, while Laura and Tristen took their matches down to the wire. We feel these tough matches against difficult competition are going to help us during the season ahead."
Coming up next, WKU will host two matches next week with UT Martin on Saturday, Feb. 20 and North Alabama on Monday, Feb. 22. They are scheduled to be the first two home contests of the spring for the Lady Toppers.
Final Results
Singles (Order of finish: 1,4,6,3,2,5)
1: Jessie Young (UTC) def. Cora-Lynn von Dungern (WKU) 6-0, 6-1
2: Emma Van Hee (UTC) def. Laura Bernardos (WKU) 6-0, 3-6, 7-5
3: Polina Goloputova (UTC) def. Tristen Bryant-Otake (WKU) 2-6, 6-1, 7-6 (4)
4: Bogdana Zaporozhets (UTC) def. Lisa Friess (WKU) 6-4, 6-2
5: Lauren Joch (WKU) def. Wilma Bergqvist (UTC) 7-6 (3), 0-6, 6-1
6: Caroline Gibbens (UTC) def. Alexis Cramer (WKU) 7-5, 6-0
Doubles (Order of finish 2,1,3)
1: Friess/von Dungern (WKU) def. Gibbens/Van Hee (UTC) 6-4
2: Bernardos/Martinez (WKU) def. Young/Zaporozhets (UTC) 6-0
3: Bergqvist/Billman (UTC) def. Bryant-Otake/Joch (WKU) 7-5
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