University of Missouri
Louisiana Tech
@MizzouTennis Beats Louisiana Tech, 5-2, in Home Opener
2/25/2017 5:01:00 PM | Tennis
Mizzou improves to 9-2 on the season
COLUMBIA, MO. – Mizzou Tennis (9-2) carried its momentum from a 10 match road-trip back to Columbia as it took down Louisiana Tech, 5-2, Saturday afternoon at the Mizzou Tennis Complex. The Tigers extended their win streak to five matches and finished off their non-conference schedule with a 9-2 record.
Doubles play continues to be a strength for Mizzou. The Tigers received wins on all three doubles courts and have now won the doubles point nine times in 11 matches. The seniors, Bea Machado Santos (Lisbon, Portugal) and Cassidy Spearman (Laguna Niguel, Calif.), continued their doubles dominance at No. 2, winning their match 6-4. It marks the seventh straight victory for the duo, who have yet to lose a doubles match this season.
Elsewhere in doubles play, the No. 3 pair of junior Amina Ismail (Maineville, Ohio) and freshman Tate Schroeder (Centennial, Colo.) won its second match as a duo, winning 6-2. The pairing is 2-0 this season after defeating Memphis' No. 3 duo last weekend. In No. 1 doubles, the pairing of junior Brianna Lashway (Bradenton, Fla.) and junior Clare Raley (Atlanta, Ga.) won a hard-fought match 7-6 (5).
"They [Louisiana Tech] showed us in doubles that they were going to fight," head coach Colt Gaston said. "I thought we did a great job of responding and finishing matches. We got off to a good start with Amina and Tate. We continue to jump teams early and it's really helped us out this year. The overall fight of the girls is what I'm proudest of. They show that when you play us, at home or on the road, we're going to fight until the end."
The Tigers showed off that fight in singles play, securing the dual win. Schroeder got the ball rolling, winning her team-best eighth singles match of the spring season 6-1, 6-1. She was followed by a 6-3, 6-4 win at No. 2 from Santos. The victory gives Santos a three match win streak in singles play and improves her record in the No. 2 position to a perfect 3-0.
Mizzou clinched the dual win after a massive, come-from-behind victory by Spearman. After dropping the first set 0-6, Spearman came screaming back to win the second set 6-1. In set three, Spearman once again fell behind, this time 2-5, before winning five straight games and taking the match 0-6, 6-1, 7-5. The win gives Spearman a 3-1 record in dual singles play and improves her overall record this spring to 12-2, tied with Schroeder for the best record on the team.
The Tigers won their fifth match of the day when Ismail prevailed over her opponent at the No. 5 spot, 6-3, 6-1. Ismail improved her dual singles record to 7-1 with her sixth straight victory.
Mizzou now begins its Southeastern Conference schedule on the road as the Tigers are slated to face Arkansas on Friday. First serve is set for 5 p.m.
For all the latest on Mizzou Tennis, stay tuned to MUTigers.com and follow the team on Facebook (MizzouTennis), Twitter (@MizzouTennis), and Instagram (@Mizzou_Tennis).
Match-by-Match Results:
Doubles:
No. 1 Brianna Lashway/Clare Raley (MIZ) def. Jazmin Britos/Alba Escalona Perny (LT), 7-6 (5)
No. 2 Bea Machado Santos/Cassidy Spearman def. Sonia Chen/Marta Sramkova (LT), 6-4
No. 3 Amina Ismail/Tate Schroeder def. Nadja Manjon/Angela Lorenzo (LT), 6-2
Singles:
No. 1 Jaszmin Britos (LT) def. Brianna Lashway (MIZ), 0-6, 6-2, 7-6(1)
No. 2 Bea Machado Santos (MIZ) def. Sonia Chen (LT), 6-3, 6-4
No. 3 Cassidy Spearman (MIZ) def. Nadja Manjon (LT), 0-6, 6-1, 7-5
No. 4 Tate Schroeder (MIZ) def. Marta Sramkova (LT), 6-1, 6-1
No. 5 Amina Ismail (MIZ) def. Angela Lorenzo (LT), 6-3, 6-1
No. 6 Alba Escolona Perny (LT) def. Clare Raley (MIZ), 6-2, 1-6, 1-0(8)
Players Mentioned
