MURFREESBORO, Tenn. — WKU Tennis used contributions from the entire lineup on Saturday, as the Lady Toppers earned a 5-2 victory over Southern Miss. After opening the match by winning the doubles point, four WKU players claimed three-set singles wins to defeat the Golden Eagles.
"I'm so proud of the team and how they played. It was truly a team effort with everyone having a hand in the outcome," head coach Greg Davis said. "Great win over a very, very good Southern Miss team that was coming off a victory over South Alabama who is the top team in the Sun Belt."
The Lady Toppers opened the match by winning the doubles point for the fifth time in nine matches so far this season. After the Golden Eagles got a win at the No. 3 position, WKU's No. 2 pair of Laura Bernardos and Samantha Martinez continued their hot streak with a 6-3 victory. The duo improved to a 5-1 record when playing together at the No. 2 spot this season.
Then, the No. 1 team of Lisa Friess and Cora-Lynn von Dungern claimed a 6-4 win over their opponents to give the Lady Toppers the opening 1-0 lead. That pair improved to 4-4 playing together at the No. 1 position this season.
Although Southern Miss opened up singles competition with a win at No. 5, WKU (2-7 overall record) stormed back after that.
Bernardos at No. 2 (4-6, 6-3, 6-3), Tristen Bryant-Otake at No. 4 (6-3, 6-7 (5), 6-3), Lauren Joch at No. 3 (6-4, 4-6, 7-5) and von Dungern at No. 1 (6-3, 5-7, 6-2) all rattled off three-set victories, clinching a team win for the Lady Toppers by a score of 5-1.
Bernardos improved to 4-5 on the season with her second consecutive singles win, while von Dungern posted her third straight singles victory and upped her record to 4-5 this season as well. Bryant-Otake and Joch, meanwhile, each earned their second singles wins of the spring.
The Golden Eagles (3-2 overall record) claimed a three-set victory at No. 6 singles to cap the final score at 5-2.
It was the first-ever meeting between WKU and Southern Miss in women's tennis. It was also the first regular-season Conference USA win for the Lady Toppers since a 4-1 win at UAB on March 10, 2018, although there were only eight other league matchups in-between.
WKU's next two matches will be on the road – at Austin Peay on Friday, March 12 and at Murray State on Sunday, March 14.
Final Results
Singles (Order of finish: 5,2,4,3,1,6)
1: Cora-Lynn von Dungern (WKU) def. Sarah Medik (USM) 6-3, 5-7, 6-2
2: Laura Bernardos (WKU) def. Katia de la Garza (USM) 4-6, 6-3, 6-3
3: Lauren Joch (WKU) def Monique Burton (USM) 6-4, 4-6, 7-5
4: Tristen Bryant-Otake (WKU) def. Suhana Das (USM) 6-3, 6-7 (5), 6-3
5: Ebru Zeynep Yazgan (USM) def. Lisa Friess (WKU) 7-6 (3), 6-3
6: Stephanie Booth (USM) def. Alexis Cramer (WKU) 4-6, 7-5, 6-2
Doubles (Order of finish 3,2,1)
1: Friess/von Dungern (WKU) def. Booth/Burton (USM) 6-4
2: Bernardos/Martinez (WKU) def. Medik/Yazgan (USM) 6-3
3: Das/de la Garza (USM) def. Bryant-Otake/Joch (WKU) 6-0
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