STARKVILLE, Miss. – Closing out its weekend stay in the Magnolia State, the Belmont University women's tennis team nearly defeated Southeastern Conference mainstay Mississippi State Sunday afternoon at the Rula Tennis Pavilion in Starkville, Mississippi. The undefeated Bulldogs (6-0) had to win four of the six singles matches to escape the upset-minded visiting Bruins (3-2).
Behind a dominant performance from sophomore
Mariia Hlahola and junior
Anastasiya Zholdakova at the top spot and a clinching win at No. 2 doubles by the junior tandem of
Viktoria Kliimand and
Abi Solomon, Belmont captured the doubles point. The Bruins then got singles victories from Zholdakova and freshman
Vesa Gjinaj at the No. 4 and No. 2 positions, respectively.
Hlahola and Zholdakova downed Mississippi State's Alexandra Mikhailuk and Maria Rizzolo 6-1 at No. 1 doubles after the Bulldogs' Dharani Niroshan and Alessia Tagliente topped Gjinaj and fellow freshman
Hana Sokolovic 6-2 at the third spot. Putting Belmont up 1-0, Kliimand and Solomon defeated Chloé Cirotte and Athina Pitta 6-4 on court two.
Evening the match at a point apiece, Mississippi State got a straight-set No. 6 singles win from Jayna Clemens. However, the Bruins responded at No. 4 singles where Zholdakova took out Pitta 7-5, 6-3.
The Bulldogs once again tied the match at 2-2 when Mikhailuk got past Solomon at No. 3 singles in a tightly-contested affair, 6-4, 7-6 (4). Mississippi State led 3-2 following a win on court five as Tagliente won a decisive third set against Kliimand. After taking the opening set 6-4, Kliimand was unable to hold off Tagliente's 6-2, 6-3 comeback.
Gjinaj fought through an extremely tight first set against Cirotte at No. 2 singles, winning set one 9-7 in a tiebreaker before taking the second set, 6-4.
With things knotted at 3-3, the match came down to the top singles duel between Hlahola and Rizzolo. Hlahola won the opening set 6-4 but Rizzolo took set two 6-1. The pivotal third set came down to a tiebreaker and it was Rizzolo who prevailed 7-4 to keep the Bulldogs unbeaten on the season.
Up Next
Belmont wraps up its strenuous six-match road stretch next weekend in Birmingham, Alabama. The Bruins take on Samford at the Pat M. Courington Tennis Pavillion on Saturday at 12 p.m. before facing Southern Miss next Sunday at 8 a.m. in a neutral-site match.
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