Women's Tennis Snags Key MVC Victory at Murray State Wednesday Afternoon

MURRAY, Ky. – Graduate student Meredith Roberts once again came up with a clutch performance for the Belmont University women's tennis team Wednesday afternoon in Murray, Kentucky, leading the Bruins to a pivotal 4-3 Missouri Valley Conference road victory at Murray State with a clinching three-set win at No. 4 singles. Moving to 5-1 in league play, Belmont (8-11) bounced back after dropping the doubles point by taking four of the six singles matches.
 
For the first time in MVC action the Bruins didn't win the coveted doubles point as the host Racers (10-9, 4-3 MVC) earned wins at the top two spots. The tandem of Roberts and senior Taylor Trondson came away with a 6-3 win over Murray State's Paola Campigotto and Marit Kreugel at the third position, but both the nationally-ranked duo of freshman Mariia Hlahola and sophomore Anastasiya Zholdakova and the sophomore pair of Viktoria Kliimand and Abi Solomon suffered 6-3 losses. Hlahola and Zholdakova were bested by the Racers' Emma Honore and Natalie Slezakova on court one, while Murray State's Sarah Bureau and Annika Pschorr topped Kliimand and Solomon on court two.
 
Belmont quickly secured a pair of singles victories at the No. 1 and No. 5 spots to take a 2-1 lead with Hlahola dismissing Bureau in straight sets, 6-2, 6-4, and Kliimand winning by retirement. After Kliimand took the opening set 6-2 and led 2-1 in the second at the fifth flight, the Racers' Kreugel retired due to injury.
 
Murray State evened things at 2-2 with a 6-2, 6-0 win by Pschorr over Zholdakova at No. 3 singles, but Solomon gritted out a tiebreaker in the second set against Honore at the second spot after winning set one 6-2.
 
With the Bruins leading 3-2, the match came down to the fourth and sixth positions where three-set contests were taking place. At No. 6, Trondson recovered from a 6-4 set one loss to Campigotto by taking the second set, 6-3. However, Campigotto prevailed with a convincing 6-0 third set. With the match in the balance, Roberts led Slezakova 5-3 in the decisive third before closing things out at 7-5. After Slezakova took the first set 6-3, Roberts came back to win the second 6-2.
 
Up Next
Belmont closes out the regular season this weekend in the Land of Lincoln, traveling to conference-leader Illinois State Saturday and Bradley Sunday. First serve of Saturday's clash with the Redbirds is scheduled for 2:30 p.m. from the Gregory Street Tennis Courts in Normal, Illinois. Sunday's matchup with the Braves will get underway at 11 a.m. in Peoria, Illinois.
 
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