Taylor Boydstun
Staff Writer
Troy University’s women’s tennis team lost its second and third-straight conference matches, falling in a pair of 4-3 contests to No. 46 Georgia State and Georgia Southern.
While the matches were initially scheduled to take place in Boone, North Carolina, bad weather brought them to Atlanta, Georgia.
On Friday, April 8, the Trojans (11-7, 2-3 Sun Belt) played its first of two games in Atlanta against the Sun Belt powerhouse Panthers (11-5, 3-0 Sun Belt). Georgia State won without much difficulty at the No. 1 doubles spot and earned a tighter decision at No. 3 with a 7-5 victory, sealing the opening point.
The Trojans took the lead in singles play, with sophomore Nancy Karaky claiming her eighth-straight victory over Chiara Volejnicek 6 -2, 6-2, at the No. 4 singles spot. Sophomore Efriliya Herlina won a 6-1, 6-1 victory over Lara Vovk at the No. 5 singles spot.
Georgia State won the next three, solidifying their match win. They won straight sets at No. 6, three sets at No. 1 and straight sets at No. 3. Sophomore Sanae Ohta was the final scorer for the Trojans, winning 6-2, 4-6, 1-0 (10-5) at the No. 2 singles spot to mark her eighth-straight singles win.
On Saturday, April 9, Troy again fell 4-3, this time in a neutral-court match to Georgia Southern. While Troy’s previous two matches, including a loss to South Alabama at home on Wednesday, March 30, had ended in 4-3 contest losses, in this match the Trojans won the doubles point and let Georgia Southern take the win in four of six singles matches.
After No. 1 and No. 3 doubles wins, Troy lost three straight singles matches, falling behind 3-1. Karaky and Ohta, on the other hand, won their matches at No. 5 and No. 2. In the final match, freshman Luisa Ferrauti fell 6-4, 6-4 to Eagles senior Mary Phillips Smith in the No. 6 singles spot.
The Trojans wrap up their regular season on Friday, April 15, at No. 69 Florida State University. Start time in Tallahassee, Florida, is scheduled for 10 a.m.
