TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – No. 8 Alabama was able to hold off the 19th-ranked Vanderbilt women’s tennis team, 4-3, Sunday afternoon at the Roberta Alison Baumgardner Tennis Facility in a match that lasted five and a half hours.
The Commodores dropped to 12-9 overall and 5-5 in SEC play, while the win improved Alabama to 16-2 overall and 8-1 in conference action. Vanderbilt leads the series with Alabama 21-18 all time.
Alabama was able to hold off the Commodores in doubles to take a 1-0 lead in what would turn out to be a deciding factor in the match. Antonia Foehse and Maya Jansen defeated Ashleigh Antal and Marie Casares in the No. 2 position, 8-5. The win for the Alabama duo clinched the doubles point. In No. 3 doubles, Natalia Maynetto and Emily Zabor defeated Frances Altick and Georgina Sellyn, 8-3.
Courtney Colton and Lauren Mira were able to take down the sixth-ranked duo of Alexa Guarachi and Mary Anne Macfarlane, 8-6, in the No. 1 spot.
The Crimson Tide would tack on another point with Guarachi’s win over Casares in No. 2 singles, 6-1, 6-1. Vanderbilt immediately answered with a win from Antal in No. 5 singles. Antal defeated Zabor in straight sets, 6-1, 6-3, to run her record to 16-2 in dual play this season and 9-1 in SEC competition.
Macfarlane gave Alabama a 3-1 lead following a straight sets win over Mira, 6-2, 6-4, in the No. 1 position.
The Commodores would not go down without a fight, as Colton downed Jansen, 6-4, 6-0, in the No. 3 spot. Colton’s win was her 20th of the season, as she continues a solid freshman campaign.
Sellyn’s win at No. 4 would tie the match up at 3. The freshman defeated Foehse 6-0 in the first set before needing the tiebreak to win the second set, 7-6. Sellyn is 14-4 in dual play and tied with Antal for the team lead in SEC victories with nine (9-1).
After five and a half hours of play, the match was finally decided on court No. 6. Maynetto and Altick battled for what seemed like days to finish a great match by two great teams. In the end, it would be Alabama’s Maynetto who would come out on top after three sets, 6-4, 2-6, 7-5.
Vanderbilt continues its five-match road trip with a final pit stop in Lexington, Ky., to take on Kentucky next Friday, April 5 at 11 a.m. CT.
Singles Results
1. No. 26 Mary Anne Macfarlane (UA) def. No. 61 Lauren Mira (VU) 6-2, 6-4
2. No. 56 Alexa Guarachi (UA) def. Marie Casares (VU) 6-1, 6-1
3. Courtney Colton (VU) def. No. 84 Maya Jansen (UA) 6-4, 6-0
4. No. 83 Georgina Sellyn (VU) def. Antonia Foehse (UA) 6-0, 7-6(3)
5. Ashleigh Antal (VU) def. Emily Zabor (UA) 6-1, 6-3
6. No. 113 Natalia Maynetto (UA) def. Frances Altick (VU) 6-4, 2-6, 7-5
Doubles Results
1. No. 18 Colton/Mira (VU) def. No. 6 Guarachi/Macfarlane (UA) 8-6
2. Foehse/Jansen (UA) def. Antal/Casares (VU) 8-5
3. Maynetto/Zabor (UA) def. Altick/Sellyn (VU) 8-3
Order of finish:
Singles: 2,5,1,3,4,6
Doubles: 1,3,2
