Women's Tennis Routs Missouri State on the Road, 4-0

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – Winning its second consecutive match and earning its first road victory of the season, the Belmont University women's tennis team downed Missouri State 4-0 Saturday afternoon at the Cooper Tennis Complex in Springfield, Missouri. Improving to 2-0 in Missouri Valley Conference play, the Bruins (5-10) took the coveted doubles point before sweeping the No. 4-6 positions in the singles lineup.
 
Gutsy play at the top and third doubles spots resulted in Belmont taking a 1-0 lead in the match. The 71st-ranked doubles duo of freshman Mariia Hlahola and sophomore Anastasiya Zholdakova edged the Bears' Diana Cabrera and Alyson Piskulic 7-5 at No. 1 to clinch the doubles point.
 
Missouri State (5-11, 0-3 MVC) took the first doubles match of the day as Mary Houston and Juliette Robinson got past sophomore Viktoria Kliimand and senior Taylor Trondson 6-4 at second doubles. However, freshman Libbie Hamilton and graduate student Meredith Roberts, whose singles matches would prove to be pivotal, forced the doubles decision at the top spot with a gritty 7-5 win at No. 3 over the Bears' Silva Avakian and Amy Henning.
 
In singles action, it would be Trondson who would finish out the triumph at the fifth spot. Hamilton claimed her second win of the year at No. 6 singles with a dominant 6-1, 6-3 showing against Henning. Roberts took care of Piskulic 6-3, 6-3 at No. 4 singles before Trondson won by identical set scores at the fifth position.
 
Kliimand had evened things up at No. 3 singles with Robinson when Trondson closed out the winning point, earning a 6-2 set two win after dropping the opening set, 6-3.
 
Hlahola led Cabrera 4-3 in the second set at the top singles spot after a narrow 7-5 opening set loss. Sophomore Abi Solomon trailed Houston 7-6 (4), 2-1 at No. 2 singles when the Bruins won the match.
 
Up Next
Belmont continues its inaugural MVC road trip Sunday afternoon at familiar conference foe Murray State. First serve from the Bennie Purcell Tennis Courts in Murray, Kentucky, is slated for 1 p.m.
 
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