Women’s tennis starts Sun Belt Conference action with road matches

Trojans pick up win over Southern Miss, fall to rival No. 41 South Alabama

The Troy women’s tennis team split their opening road Sun Belt Conference matches as they squared off against South Alabama and Southern Miss over this past weekend.

Troy traveled to Mobile, Alabama, to take on its archrival South Alabama to begin conference play.

The No. 41 nationally ranked Jaguars quickly assumed the lead with doubles victories on courts one and two.

South Alabama increased the lead to 2-0 with a straight-set singles victory on court two.

Standout junior Valeriia Avdeeva rolled past her opponent 6-2, 6-2 to put the Trojans on the scoreboard.

Freshman Veena Nazar tied things up at 2-2 with her 6-3, 6-4 win on court six.

The victory was Nazar’s first career in Sun Belt Conference play and her second collegiate singles win.

The Trojans were unable to muster up a comeback win, as the Jaguars closed the door with a straight-set victory on court three and a three-set battle on court one.

The match concluded 4-2 in favor of the No. 41 Jaguars with the remaining match on court five going unfinished in the third set.

On Sunday, Troy trekked down to Southern Miss for their second Sun Belt contest of the weekend.

Troy jumped out to the early lead in doubles as Emilia Namyslo and Nazar dispatched their court two opponents 6-1 while the doubles duo of juniors Maria Guirguis and Avdeeva clinched the doubles point with a 6-3 win on court one.

Avdeeva and Guirguis have a 6-2 record so far in doubles so far this season.

Guirguis immediately extended the Trojan lead to 2-0 with her decisive 6-1, 6-1 win on court two.

The Golden Eagles narrowed the deficit with a singles three victory, but the Trojans quickly responded as Nazar collected her second win of the weekend in 6-0, 6-3 fashion.

Finally, Avdeeva clinched the match 4-1 with her eighth consecutive singles victory 6-4, 6-1.

Avdeeva has begun the season with a blazing hot team-best 9-1 record in singles and now sports a 2-0 record in conference play.

Troy will play host to Old Dominion on Mar. 15 and James Madison on Mar. 16 in its first home conference matches of the season.