Women's Tennis Takes Two Singles Points Against UAB Saturday

AUBURN, Ala. – Despite competitive matches throughout its doubles and singles lineup, the Belmont University women's tennis team was unable to top the University of Alabama at Birmingham Saturday afternoon in Auburn, Alabama. The Bruins (2-6) took two of the top three singles matches in the neutral-site affair, but the Blazers (5-3) won the doubles point and earned three straight-set singles victories.
 
At the top doubles spot, the duo of freshman Mariia Hlahola and sophomore Anastasiya Zholdakova forced a tiebreaker at 6-6 against UAB's Maggie White and Sydney Clarke. However, the doubles point was clinched by the Blazers at No. 3 doubles where UAB's Enya Ratkic and Vanessa Mellynchuk got past senior Taylor Trondson and graduate student Meredith Roberts in a 7-5 set.
 
The Blazers' first doubles win came at the second position where Adela Wasserbauerova and Mackenzie White defeated sophomores Abi Solomon and Viktoria Kliimand 6-1.
 
In singles action, both Hlahola and Roberts went to third sets. Hlahola overcame a 6-3 opening set loss against Maggie White at the top spot and took sets two and three, 6-3, 6-1. After dropping the first set in a tiebreaker to Ratkic at No. 6 singles, Roberts evened up the match with a 6-4 second set win before Ratkic won the decisive third-set super tiebreak.
 
Zholdakova was also victorious at No. 3 singles where she bested Clarke 7-5, 6-4.
 
Bouncing back from a 6-1 set one loss, Kliimand nearly took the second set against Mackenzie White at No. 4 singles but fell 7-5. Solomon battled Wasserbauerova in a 6-4, 6-3 match that went Wasserbauerova's way at the second position and Trondson dropped a 6-3, 6-2 decision to UAB's Annalisa Smith at No. 5 singles.
 
In an extra seventh singles match, the Blazers' Mellynchuk beat freshman Libbie Hamilton 6-2, 6-2.
 
Up Next
Belmont closes its weekend stay in Alabama Sunday morning with ninth-ranked Southeastern Conference member Auburn. First serve from the Yarbrough Tennis Center is slated for 10 a.m. The non-conference road match will be streamed live and live scoring can be followed by visiting BelmontBruins.com.
 
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.