Women's Tennis Challenges Ole Miss in Singles Play Saturday

OXFORD, Miss. – Closing out its weekend stay in the Magnolia State, the Belmont University women's tennis team battled Southeastern Conference member Ole Miss in a 4-0 setback Saturday afternoon at the William F. Galtney Tennis Center in Oxford, Mississippi. The Bruins (2-5) were highly competitive in singles play, forcing a third set in each of the top three positions as the No. 1, No. 3 and No. 5 singles spots went unfinished.
 
The host Rebels (4-2) captured the key doubles point, forcing Belmont to play from behind in singles action. The duo of senior Taylor Trondson and graduate student Meredith Roberts was edged 6-4 by Ole Miss' Reka Zadori and Emma Kette at No. 3 doubles after the Rebels' Ludmila Kareisová and Anaelle Leclercq quickly dismissed sophomore Anastasiya Zholdakova and freshman Mariia Hlahola 6-1 at the top doubles spot.
 
Sophomores Abi Solomon and Viktoria Kiimand were down 6-5 to Ole Miss' Lillian Gabrielsen and Kelsey Mize at No. 2 doubles when the hosts clinched the doubles point.

The Rebels then went up 2-0 when Zadori picked up a 6-1, 6-1 win over Roberts at No. 6 singles. Ole Miss made it 3-0 at No. 4 singles where Kette defeated Kliimand 6-3, 6-2.
 
However, the final point was much more difficult for the Rebels as 107th-ranked Kareisová needed three sets to get past Solomon at No. 2 singles. After dropping the first set 6-2, Solomon evened the match at a set apiece with a 6-4 set two win. Kareisová ended up clinching the match with a 6-1 set three triumph, but the other three singles courts were in tightly-contested affairs.

Zholdakova led Gabrielsen 3-2 in the third set at No. 3 singles, while Hlahola split 6-2 sets with Leclercq at the No. 1 position and was trailing 5-3 in the third. At No. 5 singles, Trondson was behind 6-4, 6-5 against Mize.
 
Up Next
The Bruins continue their strenuous five-match road stretch next weekend in Auburn, Alabama, where Belmont will take on the University of Alabama at Birmingham in a neutral-site match Saturday before facing another SEC opponent in Auburn Sunday.
 
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