Mississippi State
Auburn
No. 44 MSU Women?s Tennis Earns Gritty 4-3 Win Over No. 42 Auburn
April 01, 2015 | Women's Tennis
STARKVILLE, Miss. – For the second time in SEC play this season, it was up to a freshman to deliver a crucial conference victory. Wednesday, it was Jennifer Brown who came through with a thrilling 7-5, 2-6, 7-6(4) victory on court five, sealing a 4-3 win for Mississippi State women's tennis against No. 42 Auburn in an epic five-hour marathon at the A.J. Pitts Tennis Centre.
With the win, the Bulldogs improved to 14-7 on the season and 4-6 in the SEC. The team's win total is the most since the 1988 dual match season. Auburn fell to 12-10 and 2-8 in the SEC.
Brown, a rookie from England, was down a service break three times in the third set of her battle with Auburn's Paula de Man, including with de Man serving for the match at 6-5, but fought back to force a decisive tiebreaker. After going down 3-0 early in the tiebreaker, Brown roared back and pulled ahead 4-3. From there, she was in control, taking the tiebreaker 7-4 and handing the match to the Bulldogs in thrilling fashion.
“She did a remarkable job believing in herself with the match on the line,” said coach Daryl Greenan of Brown. “It was a huge win for us and I am proud of our team's effort.”
Prior to the match clincher, the teams endured a close and lengthy battle throughout the day that led to that point.
Auburn earned the first point of the day, following a fierce battle in doubles. The MSU tandem of Jasmine Lee and Louise Ronaldson got things started with an 8-1 victory on court two against AU's Michala Kucharova and de Man. However, the Tigers clinched the doubles point by claiming the remaining two matches. Martina Frantova and Georgiana Patrasc fell 8-6 to the 10th-ranked duo of Pleun Burgmans and Emily Flickinger, while the Tigers earned the clinch on No. 3, as Timea Guibe and Naomi Tran dropped an 8-6 decision to Auburn's Reka Muller and Jen Pfiefler after leading early on.
In singles, State responded very strong, claiming the first set on all six courts. The early advantages helped the Bulldogs in winning the first two singles matches in straight-set fashion. The 81st-ranked Patrasc defeated Auburn's Andie Dikosavljevic in straight sets 6-3, 7-5 on court two. Freshman and 124th-ranked Ronaldson followed with a 6-4, 6-3 win against AU's Flickinger for a 2-1 Bulldog lead.
Auburn responded by taking the second set on the remaining four courts, needing three of them to win the match and they would come close to doing so. Despite the Bulldogs building a 3-1 lead, thanks to an impressive third set and 6-4, 2-6, 6-1 win at No. 1 from 56th-ranked Lee over AU's 68th-ranked Burgmans, the Tigers rallied.
State's Frantova dropped a heartbreaking 4-6, 7-6(1), 6-1 decision at the No. 4 position to Muller, which was soon followed by a 4-6, 6-2, 6-4 Auburn win by Pfiefler against MSU's Guibe at No. 6, tying the match at 3-all. That left the freshman Brown on court to clinch the match for State with her hard-fought effort.
“Our girls have done an unbelievable job rebounding after close losses,” Greenan said. “Today, their efforts paid off.”
State's women return to action on Friday, April 3, in a 4 p.m. CT battle at Tennessee. Live stats will be provided online at Tennessee's official athletic website (utsports.com). The match is also scheduled to be carried live on SEC Network +.
For more information on Mississippi State women's tennis and updates, fans can follow the Bulldogs on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram at HailStateWT.
No. 44 Mississippi State 4, No. 42 Auburn 3
Wednesday, April 1 - A.J. Pitts Tennis Centre – Starkville, Miss.
Doubles
1. No. 10 Burgmans/Flickinger (AU) def. Frantova/Patrasc (MSU), 8-6
2. Lee/Ronaldson (MSU) def. Kucharova/de Man (AU), 8-1
3. Muller/Pfiefler (AU) def. Guibe/Tran (MSU), 8-6
Singles
1. No. 56 Jasmine Lee (MSU) def. No. 68 Pleun Burgmans (AU), 6-4, 2-6, 6-1
2. No. 81 Georgiana Patrasc (MSU) def. Andie Dikosavljevic (AU), 6-3, 7-5
3. No. 124 Louise Ronaldson (MSU) def. Emily Flickinger (AU), 6-4, 6-3
4. Reka Muller (AU) def. Martina Frantova (MSU), 4-6, 7-6(1), 6-1
5. Jennifer Brown (MSU) def. Paula de Man (AU), 7-5, 2-6, 7-6(4)
6. Jen Pfiefler (AU) def. Timea Guibe (MSU), 4-6, 6-2, 6-4
Order of finish
Doubles: 2,1,3
Singles: 2,3,1,4,6,5
Players Mentioned
