Ladyjacks Lose Grip on Early Lead, Fall 4-3 to Northeastern State

Sunday, February 18

Nacogdoches, Texas

2:00 p.m.

Stephen F. Austin

Northeastern State University

Ladyjacks Lose Grip on Early Lead, Fall 4-3 to Northeastern State

2/18/2018 8:45:00 PM | Women's Tennis

Box Score

SFA wins first three team points, but RiverHawks roar back and win last four

By: Charlie Hurley | Director of Athletic Media Relations

Box Score

NACOGDOCHES, Texas - Playing their first match in two weeks, the Stephen F. Austin tennis team jumped out to an early lead over NCAA Division II foe Northeastern State by claiming the doubles point, but the RiverHawks claimed four of the six singles matches in the Ladyjacks' 4-3 setback at the Schlief Tennis Complex Sunday evening.

Gabi Guilate and Siân Payne continued their doubles dominance, scoring a 6-1 win over the RiverHawks' tandem of Easton Parker and Tatjana Stoll on the number-two line. After Northeastern State captured the third doubles match via a 6-4 score, Darinka Tiboldi and Nida Kamal handed the host squad a 1-0 lead with their hard-fought 7-6 (7-3) victory over Molly Worden and Mayra Jovic in the top line.

The Ladyjacks increased their lead to 3-0 after Ljubic bounced Parker 6-1, 6-0 in number-six singles and Payne bested Worden on the number-two line via a 6-1, 6-4 tally. From there, however, Northeastern State made its comeback.

Up 5-1 in her match again Chantal Nosievici in the fifth singles flight, Armelle Cerdan watched her Northeastern State adversary come all the way back to claim a 7-5 win before the RiverHawk tallied her squad's first point with a 6-4 win in the second set.

Tiboldi busted up Jovic 6-2 in the opening set of the number-three singles match, but Jovic won sets two and three by identical 6-4 scores. Like Tiboldi, Guilarte captured an early 1-0 lead on the top singles line after besting Stoll 6-3 only to see her opponent win the next two sets 6-2, 7-5 to knot the match at three points apiece.

Kamal then dropped a 7-5, 6-4 match to Betka Gombarova in the number-four singles match, sealing the deal for Northeastern State.

Next weekend, the Ladyjacks hit the road still in search of their first win of the season. SFA opens their two-match road swing in Oxford, Miss., Saturday at noon in a battle with SEC adversary Ole Miss.

-SFA-