Mississippi State
Houston
No. 33 MSU Women?s Tennis Downs No. 30 Houston In NCAA First Round
May 08, 2015 | Women's Tennis
BERKELEY, Calif. – Mississippi State's women's tennis team, making its first NCAA Championship appearance in a decade, started that opportunity off in great fashion Friday, as the 33rd-ranked Bulldogs ousted 30th-ranked Houston 4-2 in first-round play at the University of California's Hellman Tennis Complex.
With the win, State improved to 16-11 overall, and advances to Saturday's second round to face either third-ranked host Cal or Bryant University, who were slated to play after MSU and UH Friday. Saturday's match will begin at 12 p.m. PT (2 p.m. CT) and live video and scores will be available at calbears.com.
In the loss, Houston ended its season at 22-6. State has now won its opening match in the NCAA Championship in four of its five all-time appearances.
The Bulldogs came out strong to open the match, claiming convincing wins at No. 1 and 3 doubles for the opening point of the day. State's 51st-ranked duo of Martina Frantova and Georgiana Patrasc ousted UH's Elena Kordolaimi and Despoina Vogasari 8-1 at the No. 1 spot. The clincher came at No. 3, where MSU's tandem of Timea Guibe and Louise Ronaldson downed Cougars Angela Lorenzo and Mina Markovic 8-2. Court 2 was suspended at that point, with UH's Rocio Martin and Tina Rupert leading Bulldogs Jasmine Lee and Naomi Tran 5-2.
In singles, the teams split the six first sets. Houston then took a 2-1 lead in the match with wins at the top two positions. First to finish was UH's 77th-ranked Vogasari who downed State's 23rd-ranked Lee 6-4, 6-2 at No. 1. The Cougars' No. 105-ranked Kordolaimi then completed a 6-2, 6-1 win over MSU's No. 107 Patrasc on court 2.
But back came the Bulldogs. They got their first point in singles and tied things at 2-2 when Brown posted a 6-4, 6-2 win on court 5 over Houston's Markovic.
The final three matches of the day went to third sets and State would claim the first two complete to clinch the team win. Giving the Bulldogs a 3-2 lead was Frantova, who rallied from a seemingly insurmountable 6-3, 5-0 deficit to claim a 3-6, 7-5, 6-3 victory at No. 3 over UH's Rupert. The match-clincher then came on court 6 where State's Guibe held off a comeback attempt from Cougar Lorenzo, winning the final three games of the third set for a 6-4, 1-6, 6-3 triumph.
Play on court 4 was suspended at that point, with State's Ronaldson trailing 1-0 early in the third set to UH's Martin.
“We got off to a great start today and played very well in doubles,” MSU head coach Daryl Greenan said. “Houston is a very good team and I knew we were going to have a battle on our hands in singles.
“Jenn and Timea picked up big wins but it was Martina's comeback that got us over the hump today. Down 6-3, 5-0, she never gave up and earned an amazing win to give us the lead. These girls continue to impress me with their fighting spirit.”
For more information on Mississippi State women's tennis and updates, fans can follow the Bulldogs on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram at HailStateWT.
2015 NCAA Championship, First Round
No. 33 Mississippi State 4, No. 30 Houston 2
Friday, May 8, 2015 – Hellman Tennis Complex– Berkeley, Calif.
Doubles
1. No. 51 Martina Frantova/Georgiana Patrasc (MSU) def. Elena Kordolaimi/Despoina Vogasari (UH) 8-1
2. Rocio Martin/Tina Rupert (UH) vs. Jasmine Lee/Naomi Tran (MSU) 5-2, susp.
3. Timea Guibe/Louise Ronaldson (MSU) def. Angela Lorenzo/Mina Markovic (UH) 8-2
Singles
1. No. 77 Despoina Vogasari (UH) def. No. 23 Jasmine Lee (MSU) 6-4, 6-2
2. No. 105 Elena Kordolaimi (UH) def. No. 107 Georgiana Patrasc (MSU) 6-2, 6-1
3. Martina Frantova (MSU) def. Tina Rupert (UH) 3-6, 7-5, 6-3
4. Rocio Martin (UH) vs. Louise Ronaldson (MSU) 6-4, 4-6, 1-0, susp.
5. Jennifer Brown (MSU) def. Mina Markovic (UH) 6-4, 6-2
6. Timea Guibe (MSU) def. Angela Lorenzo (UH) 6-4, 1-6, 6-3
Order of finish
Doubles: 1,3
Singles: 1,2,5,3,6
Players Mentioned
