Mississippi State
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Dartmouth
MSU Drops Ivy League Kick-off Finale At No. 63 Dartmouth
January 25, 2015 | Women's Tennis
STARKVILLE, Miss. – Despite racing out to an early lead, the Mississippi State women's tennis team (3-1) could not hold off a comeback from 63rd-ranked host Dartmouth, dropping its first match of the season, 4-3, in Sunday's Ivy League Kick-off finale.
Much like Saturday's win against Cornell, the Bulldogs came out with a strong start in doubles, as Jennifer Brown and Timea Guibe took a 6-4 decision at No. 3 against Dartmouth's Julienne Keong Si Ying and Julia Schroeder. The doubles tandem of Martina Frantova and Naomi Tran would fall at the No. 1 doubles slot, but MSU would clinch the doubles point on a 6-4 win at court 2 from Georgiana Patrasc and Louise Ronaldson.
Guibe would get the Bulldogs going early in singles, defeating Dartmouth's Sarah Bessen convincingly 6-0, 6-2 on No. 6, giving the Bulldogs a 2-0 advantage. However, things began to shift in the direction of the Big Green, as Dartmouth took the first set on each of the remaining five courts.
Dartmouth would get on the board at 2-1 when Tran fell 6-4, 6-0 on court 3 to Kristina Mathis. The Big Green would then tie the overall score at 2-all, as the 76th-ranked Patrasc dropped her first dual match of the season, 6-3, 6-2 to Taylor Ng.
Although Dartmouth continued to close in, the Bulldogs refused to cave. After falling in each of their first sets, the trio of Brown, Frantova and Ronaldson battled for wins in the second sets, with Ronaldson earning a gritty 10-4 tiebreak win to force a third set.
However, the Big Green would not fall on its home court, as Dartmouth would take a 3-2 advantage when Katherine Yau downed Frantova 6-4, 4-6, 6-3 on No. 2. DC clinched the match when Akiko Okuda downed Ronaldson 6-1, 6-7(4), 6-2 on court 4. MSU's Brown closed out play with a 4-6, 6-3, 6-4 victory at No. 5 over Julia Schroeder.
“It was an exciting college match today,” said MSU coach Daryl Greenan. “We lost to a very good team, but I am proud of the way we fought. I think that this loss will make us stronger and maybe more determined moving forward.”
With the loss, MSU drops to 3-1 on the season. The Bulldogs will return to the friendly confines of the A.J. Pitts Tennis Centre on Saturday, Jan. 31, hosting UAB at 11 a.m. CT.
For more information on Mississippi State women's tennis and updates, fans can follow the Bulldogs on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram at HailStateWT.
No. 63 Dartmouth 4, Mississippi State 3
January 25, 2015 – Alexis Boss Tennis Center – Hanover, N.H.
Doubles
1. No. 34 Mathis/Ng (DC) def. Frantova/Tran (MSU), 6-4
2. Patrasc/Ronaldson (MSU) def. Okuda/Yau (DC), 6-4
3. Brown/Guibe (MSU) def. Keong/Schroeder (DC), 6-4
Singles
1. Taylor Ng (DC) def. No. 76 Georgiana Patrasc (MSU), 6-3, 6-2
2. Katherine Yau (DC) def. Martina Frantova (MSU), 6-4, 4-6, 6-3
3. Kristina Mathis (DC) def. Naomi Tran (MSU), 6-4, 6-0
4. Akiko Okuda (DC) def. Louise Ronaldson (MSU), 6-1, 6-7(4), 6-2
5. Jennifer Brown (MSU) def. Julia Schroeder (DC), 4-6, 6-3, 6-4
6. Timea Guibe (MSU) def. Sarah Bessen (DC), 6-0, 6-2
Order of finish
Doubles: 3,1,2
Singles: 6,3,1,2,4,5
Players Mentioned
