UNCG splits pair, tops Longwood and gives No. 27 Indiana a scare

GREENSBORO, NC – UNC Greensboro split a pair of women’s tennis matches this weekend, dropping a 5-2 decision to No. 27 Indiana late Saturday night before bouncing back to down Longwood on Sunday afternoon, 4-2, in a rain-shortened victory.

In Sunday’s win over Longwood, UNCG got straight set wins from Alejandra Guerra, Erica Zabkar and Jess Eblen to jump out to an early lead. Longwood won two singles matches before Britney Cloer rallied to put the match away. Cloer had lost her opening set to Mason Davis, 6-2. But she came back to win the second, 6-1, and then won the third set in a tiebreaker, 7-6 with a 7-3 score in the breaker.

Late Saturday night in Winston-Salem, the Spartans gave the 27th-ranked Hoosiers fits for most of the night. After Indiana dominated three doubles’ pro-sets, UNCG earned wins at Nos. 1 and 2 singles and took the Hoosiers to a decisive third set at Nos. 4 and 5. Alejandra Guerra topped Alba Berdala in the first flight, 7-6 and 6-4. Arielle VonStrolley won at second flight, rallying to top Katya Zapadalova, 3-6, 6-1, 6-1.

An upset was looming when Britney Cloer and Erica Zabkar went to a third set in their matches. Cloer lost her opening set, 6-4, to Greensboro native Lindsey Stuckey before winning the second set, 6-2. Stuckey, however, won the decisive third, 6-3. Zabkar, meanwhile, had won her opening set 6-3, over Brianna Williams. But Williams roared back to win the next two, 6-3 and 6-0.

UNCG returns to action on Friday when the Spartans host East Carolina at 2 pm.

AGATE

Saturday’s late match

No. 27 Indiana 5, UNCG 2

Singles: Alejandra Guerra (UNCG) def. Alba Berdala 7-6 (7-4), 6-4; Arielle VonStrolley (UNCG) def. Katya Zapadalova 3-6, 6-1, 6-1; Charlotte Martin (IU) def. Valerie Behr 6-0, 6-1; Lindsey Stuckey (IU) def. Britney Cloer 6-4, 6-2, 6-3; Brianna Williams (IU) def. Erica Zabkar 3-6, 6-3, 6-0; Myriam Sopel (IU) def. Courtney Akel 6-0, 6-0.

Doubles: Berdala/Zapadalova (IU) def. Guerra/VonStrolley 8-2; Sigrid Fischer/Stuckey (IU) def. Behr/Cloer 8-4; Williams/Sopel (IU) def. Eblen/Zabkar 8-0.

Sunday’s match

UNCG 4, Longwood 2

Singles: Alejandra Guerra (UNCG) def. Zosfia Jakab 6-1, 6-0; Elena Trieskorn (LU) def. Arielle VonStrolley 6-1, 6-3; Laura Simon (LU) def. Valerie Behr 2-6, 6-2, 6-4; Britney Cloer (UNCG) def. Mason Davis 2-6, 6-1, 7-6 (7-3); Erica Zabkar (UNCG) def. Brittany Huddleston 6-0, 6-3; Jessica Eblen (UNCG) def. Nasim Moadab 6-1, 6-2.

Doubles: cancelled by rain

- UNCG -