Women's Tennis Begins MVC Play with 6-1 Home Win Over Northern

NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Beginning Missouri Valley Conference play, the Belmont University women's tennis team put together a dominant performance against visiting Northern Iowa Saturday afternoon on campus at the Beaman Family Tennis Complex. The Bruins (2-12, 1-0 MVC) routed the Panthers (2-10, 0-1 MVC) 6-1 by sweeping doubles and winning all but one of the six singles matches.
 
All three of Belmont's doubles tandems were victorious in 6-2 sets with sophomore Jessica Popiol and redshirt freshman Savannah Webster clinching the doubles point at the top spot versus Northern Iowa's Yangjiaxin Li and Lucia Schuknecht.
 
Returning to the Bruins' doubles lineup was junior Hana Sokolovic, who teamed up with freshman Ketevan Jeladze at the third position to upend the Panthers' Sedina Begic and Andrea Noa Galin.
 
In singles action, both Webster at the top of the lineup and junior Emma Grant on court six cruised in their matches. Webster defeated Schuknecht 6-0, 6-1, while Grant dismantled Begic 6-1, 6-0.
 
Popiol then clinched the match at No. 3 singles where she topped Li 6-3, 6-3.
 
At No. 4 singles, Jeladze got past Northern Iowa's Kayla Santosa with a 6-2, 7-6 triumph. She overcame a 5-3 deficit in the second set and won the tiebreaker 7-5.
 
Graduate Cielo Tapia-Cruz came back from a set down on court two against Noa Galin, winning the second set 6-3 after dropping the first, 6-3. In the deciding 10-point super tiebreaker in lieu of the third set, Tapia-Cruz prevailed 10-4.
 
The Panthers' lone win of the day came at the fifth position where Abbie Peterson outlasted senior Libbie Hamilton. After falling 6-2 in the opening set, Hamilton put together a 6-1 set two win. However, Peterson claimed the super tiebreaker, 10-4.
 
Up Next
Belmont returns to MVC action Sunday morning as the Bruins host Drake. First serve from the Beaman Family Tennis Complex in the Music City is set for 10 a.m.
 
How to Follow
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