Belmont Takes Doubles Point at SEC Mainstay Mississippi State Friday

STARKVILLE, Miss. – Beginning its two-match weekend in the Magnolia State, the Belmont University women's tennis team got off to a strong start at Mississippi State midday Friday. The Bruins (2-4) claimed the doubles point against the Southeastern Conference Bulldogs (9-1) before dropping four singles matches in a 4-1 road loss at the A.J. Pitts Tennis Centre in Starkville, Mississippi.
 
Playing its first outdoor match of the season, Belmont's doubles duos of freshman Mariia Hlahola and sophomore Anastasiya Zholdakova and sophomores Viktoria Kliimand and Abi Solomon were victorious in tightly-contested sets. Hlahola and Zholdakova defeated Mississippi State's Emma Antonaki and Gia Cohen 7-5 at No. 1 doubles to clinch the doubles point after Kliimand and Solomon earned a 6-4 win over the Bulldogs' Alexandra Mikhailuk and Maria Rizzolo at No. 2 doubles.
 
Chloe Cirotte and Emily Surcey picked up Mississippi State's lone doubles win on the day at the third spot where they got past graduate student Meredith Roberts and senior Taylor Trondson, 6-2.
 
Despite taking a 1-0 lead into singles action, the Bruins were unable to complete a match before the hosts won the top four flights.
 
Hlahola nearly took the first set against Antonaki at the top singles spot, falling in a 7-2 first set tiebreaker before being edged 6-4 in the second set. At No. 2 singles, Cohen topped Solomon 6-4, 6-1.
 
Kliimand was unable to collect more than two games in either set against Cirotte at No. 4 singles before the match was decided at No. 3 singles. Zholdakova battled Mikhailuk in a 7-5 opening set loss at the third spot but a 6-0 second set sealed the match.
 
At No. 6 singles, Roberts led Surcey 7-5, 2-2 when the match went final.
 
The Bulldogs' Rizzolo, the 77th-ranked singles player in the nation, held a 6-4, 5-2 lead on Trondson at No. 5 singles.
 
Up Next
Belmont wraps up its weekend stay in Mississippi Saturday, taking on another SEC program in Ole Miss. First serve from the William F. Galtney Indoor Tennis Center in Oxford, Mississippi, is slated for 1 p.m. Both live scoring and a live stream of the match will be available.
 
Follow Belmont women's tennis on social media – @BelmontWTennis on Twitter and @belmontwtennis on Instagram – for complete coverage of the Bruins. Stay up to date with all of Belmont's athletic programs via the official app of the Belmont Bruins, available both in the Apple App Store and on Google Play.