BOWLING GREEN, Ky. — WKU Tennis suffered their first loss of the 2022 campaign losing 4-3 to Samford on Saturday, bringing their record to 5-1 on the season.
"The doubles point was crucial. I thought we had to win the doubles point to win the match. We were in position to, it just got away from us." head coach Greg Davis said. "Tomorrow, we play Kentucky. They are always in the top 25, top 30 in the country. It will be a challenge, but we are looking forward to it. We are excited to make that trip and have a chance to play one of the best teams in the country."
WKU Tennis will finish off the weekend against Kentucky in Lexington, Ky. tomorrow at 3 p.m. CT.
The Lady Toppers lost the doubles point for the first time this season, dropping two of three matches. Samford took the first decision on Court 3, but the Lady Toppers responded with Cora-Lynn von Dungern and Paola Cortez who stayed perfect as a doubles duo this season, winning 7-6 (4). The final doubles match ended in a tiebreaker, with Samford winning 7-6 (3) to get the doubles point.
Looking to even the match in singles play, Laura Bernardos stayed hot. She was the first to finish at the No. 2 spot, winning 6-4, 6-4 and improving her singles record to 4-0 on the season. Following this, the Bulldogs would win at the No. 3, No. 1, and No. 6 slots, taking the 4-1 lead and securing the victory. The final two matches were played out, both ending in super tiebreakers. Rachel Hermanova also continued her unbeaten streak, winning 6-4, 3-6, (10-8) and improving to 6-0 on the season. The final match to finish saw Taylor Shaw prevail, winning 4-6, 7-6 (5), (10-8) getting her second singles match victory of the season.
"They are a great team. We had not been in a 4-3 match all season. Today we were." coach Davis said. "I give Samford credit. They had to make the plays to win it. It was a very difficult match. There was not going to be one easy match on the court, in doubles or singles today."
Final Results
Singles (Order of finish: 2,3,1,6,5,4)
1: Rouxanne Janse Van Rensburg (SAM) def. Cora-Lynn von Dungern (WKU) 6-4, 7-6 (6)
2: Laura Bernardos (WKU) def. Sofia Zaprianov (SAM) 6-4, 6-4
3: Samantha Nanere (SAM) def. Paola Cortez (WKU) 7-5, 6-4
4: Taylor Shaw (WKU) def. Ally Hayduk (SAM) 4-6, 7-6 (5), (10-8) (super tiebreaker)
5: Rachel Hermanova (WKU) def. Olivia Jablonski (SAM) 6-4, 3-6, (10-8) (super tiebreaker)
6: Lindsay Song (SAM) def. Alexis Cramer (WKU) 7-5, 6-3
Doubles (Order of finish 1,3,2)
1: von Dungern/Cortez (WKU) def. Van Rensburg/Lopez (SAM) 7-6 (4)
2: Jablonski/Song (SAM) def. Bernardos/Martinez (WKU) 7-6 (3)
3: Zaprianov/Nanere (SAM) def. Blanco/Zegada (WKU) 6-3
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