Mississippi State
Alabama
MSU Women's Tennis Upsets No. 6 'Bama 4-3; Blanks Alabama A&M
March 15, 2015 | Women's Tennis
Coupled with a 7-0 victory over Alabama A&M in Sunday's nightcap, State improved to 13-3 overall and 3-2 in the SEC. The Bulldogs have now won three SEC matches in a season for the first time since 2005, with over half of the 2015 conference slate still left to be played. Defending SEC Champion Alabama fell to 12-3, 4-2 in the league with the loss.
Ronaldson, a rookie from London, served for the deciding match at the No. 4 position leading 5-3 in the third set, but the veteran Zabor won three straight games (including two breaks of serve) to take a 6-5 lead and serve for the match herself. Ronaldson would not be denied, however, digging in to break back and force the deciding tiebreaker, where she cruised to a 7-2 win, handing State the impressive win.
“We had several individual highlights, but Louise Ronaldson's win was just incredible,” said MSU head coach Daryl Greenan. “She's a freshman and she was able to defeat a senior with a big match on the line. That is pretty special.”
Prior to that exciting match decider, the teams endured a fierce battle throughout the afternoon that led to that point.
Alabama actually got the first point of the day, taking wins at No. 1 and 3 doubles after State had claimed No. 2. On court 2, Bulldogs Jasmine Lee and Georgiana Patrasc claimed an 8-4 win over the Tide's 54th-ranked pair of Natalia Maynetto and Zabor. 'Bama then evened things with an 8-6 triumph at No. 1 from ninth-ranked Maya Jansen and Erin Routliffe over State's Martina Frantova and Naomi Tran. In the doubles decider on court 3, State's Timea Guibe and Ronaldson had built an early 5-2 lead, but Alabama's team of Luicelena Perez and Danielle Spielmann rallied back to claim an 8-6 win and the first point of the day for the Tide.
In singles, State came out very strong, claiming the first set in five of the six matches and would use those early leads to position itself for the dramatic victory that would unfold.
MSU tied the match at 1-1 when the sophomore sensation Lee earned a notable win playing at the No. 1 position for the first time in her career. She ousted the Tide's 26th-ranked Routliffe 6-2, 3-0, with Routliffe retiring in the match due to injury. MSU then took a 2-1 advantage when Guibe finished off a solid 6-3, 6-3 victory at No. 6 over UA's Perez. 'Bama answered with a win on No. 3, where the 48th-ranked Jansen completed a 6-2, 6-1 win over State's Frantova.
The Bulldogs then got a huge win from Patrasc at the No. 2 spot, where she fought off Alabama's 54th-ranked Spielmann 6-3, 6-3, giving State a 3-2 lead in the match.
That left State's Jennifer Brown and Ronaldson on the court in third sets to decide the match, with only one needing to claim victory. Despite a great effort, Brown eventually fell to UA's Maynetto 3-6, 6-2, 6-3, which tied the match at 3-3, leaving the Ronaldson-Zabor affair on the court to decide the match.
“It was a great college match,” Greenan said. “Anytime it comes down to 3-3 and a tiebreaker in the third set, you know it's a big deal. I couldn't be more proud of the overall team effort today. Even though we came up a little short in doubles, we felt like it proved that we could play with them.”
In the nightcap against Alabama A&M, the Bulldogs cruised to a 7-0 victory.
After State won by default at No. 3 doubles, Lee and Patrasc posted a 6-1 win over AAMU's Viraq Hollos and Jessica Taylor at No. 1 doubles. Bulldogs Brown and Alex Corder then posted a 6-4 win at No. 2 over Orianna Rodriguez and Sharre Smith.
In singles, State went up 2-0 by way of a default at No. 6 singles and took a 3-0 lead when AAMU's Jasmine Jenkins retired after MSU's Tran took the first set 6-0. The match clincher came at the No. 2 position, where Patrasc ousted A&M's Taylor 6-0, 6-0.
MSU's Guibe claimed a 6-1, 6-1 win on court 3 over Rodriguez, Lee won 6-1, 6-0 at No. 1 over Hollis, and Corder notched a 6-1, 6-1 victory over Smith on court 4 to round out scoring for the win over Alabama A&M.
State's women return to action on Friday, March 20, in a 4 p.m. CT battle at No. 36 South Carolina. Live stats will be provided online at South Carolina's official athletic website (gamecocksonline.com).
For more information on Mississippi State women's tennis and updates, fans can follow the Bulldogs on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram at HailStateWT.
No. 41 Mississippi State 4, No. 6 Alabama 3
Sunday, March 15 - A.J. Pitts Tennis Centre – Starkville, Miss.
Doubles
1. Jansen/Routliffe (ALA) def. Frantova/Tran (MSU), 8-6
2. Lee/Patrasc (MSU) def. Maynetto/Zabor (ALA), 8-4
3. Perez/Spielmann (ALA) def. Guibe/Ronaldson (MSU), 8-6
Singles
1. Jasmine Lee (MSU) def. No. 26 Erin Routliffe (ALA), 6-2, 3-0, ret.
2. Georgiana Patrasc (MSU) def. No. 54 Danielle Spielmann (ALA), 6-3, 6-3
3. No. 48 Maya Jansen (ALA) def. Martina Frantova (MSU), 6-2, 6-1
4. Louise Ronaldson (MSU) def. Emily Zabor (ALA), 6-0, 3-6, 7-6 (2)
5. Natalia Maynetto (ALA) def. Jennifer Brown (MSU), 3-6, 6-2, 6-3
6. Timea Guibe (MSU) def. Luicelena Perez (ALA), 6-3, 6-3
Order of finish
Doubles: 2,1,3
Singles: 1,6,3,2,5,4
No. 41 Mississippi State 7, Alabama A&M 0
Sunday, March 15 - A.J. Pitts Tennis Centre – Starkville, Miss.
Doubles
1. Lee/Patrasc (MSU) def. Hollos/Taylor (AAMU), 6-1
2. Brown/Corder (MSU) def. Rodriguez/Smith (AAMU), 6-4
3. Guibe/Ronaldson (MSU) won by default
Singles
1. Jasmine Lee (MSU) def. Viraq Hollis (AAMU), 6-1, 6-0
2. Georgiana Patrasc (MSU) def. Jessica Taylor (AAMU), 6-0, 6-0
3. Timea Guibe (MSU) def. Orianna Rodriguez (AAMU), 6-1, 6-1
4. Alex Corder (MSU) def. Sharre Smith (AAMU), 6-1, 6-1
5. Naomi Tran (MSU) def. Jasmine Jenkins (AAMU), 6-0, ret.
6. Jennifer Brown (MSU) won by default
Order of finish
Doubles: 3,1,2
Singles: 6,5,2,3,1,4
Players Mentioned
