Agate

ELON, N.C. – An electric crowd that cheered the Elon women’s tennis team to comebacks in two doubles matches to win the doubles point was not enough to help the Phoenix overcome the No. 74 Samford Bulldogs. The Phoenix lost 4-3 in a hard-fought battle in its Southern Conference opener at The Jimmy Powell Tennis Center today, Feb. 26. Elon falls to 4-5 on the season, while Samford remains undefeated and atop the SoCon with a 6-0 record. 

Doubles play began with Samford’s Taylor Morgan and Lindsey Mallory defeating freshmen Jordan Johnston and Viviana Stavreva, 8-0, at number one. Sophomore Briana Berne and freshman Andrea Pont Grau went game-for-game with Madelie Janse van Rensburg and Kristin Lewis at number three, but the advantage consistently remained with the pair from Samford. The Elon duo continued to fight and finally took the lead for the first time with the match at 7-6. Berne and Pont Grau went on to win 8-6 and leave the doubles point up to the number two spot.

Freshmen Frida Jansaker and Bryn Khoury played the most thrilling match of the day against Andrie Mering and Rebecca Kirven at number two. After the match started off 2-2, the Bulldogs took the lead 6-3 and kept a two-game advantage moving the score to 7-5. With the help of the great Elon crowd, the Phoenix pair went on a three-game rally to even the match at 7-7 and take their first lead at 8-7. Samford would tie the match at 8-8 but the late surge from the Phoenix was too much for the Bulldogs to overcome. Jansaker and Khoury came out victorious, 9-8 (2), and gave Elon the doubles win and the 1-0 lead.

In singles play, Samford came out strong taking the lead, 2-1, after Mallory defeated Pont Grau, 6-0, 6-0, at number six and Mering earned a 7-5, 6-2, win over Jansaker at number two.

Stavreva found herself down 4-3 against Lewis in the first set at number four, but was able to grab the lead at 6-5 and eventually win the set 7-5. After a 4-1 start for Stavreva in the second set, Lewis made things close bringing the set to 4-3. But Stavreva was able to win two of the next four games and take the set win, 6-4, and tie match up for the Phoenix at two-all.

Over on court three, Khoury kept things close with Janse van Rensburg but eventually suffered only her second loss of the season, 6-3, 6-4. Berne played a close first set against Kirven at number five and sent the set into a tiebreak. Kirven would eventually come out victorious in the match, 7-6 (4), 6-3, and clinch the win for the Bulldogs. 

After losing her first set 6-3, Johnston came back to take the next two and extend her winning streak to seven with a 3-6, 6-2, 6-2 win at number one.

The Elon women’s tennis team will continue SoCon play tomorrow, Sunday, Feb. 27, with a 1 p.m. match against Chattanooga. 

-- ELON --