University of Missouri
No. 33 Alabama
@MizzouTennis Upends No. 33 Alabama, 4-3, in regular season finale
4/16/2017 5:03:00 PM | Tennis
The Tigers open the SEC Tournament on Wednesday in Nashville
TUSCALOOSA, ALA. – Mizzou (11-13) got off to a great start and showed tremendous determination to overcome adversity and defeat No. 33 Alabama (8-15), 4-3, on Sunday afternoon in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. Mizzou won the doubles point and received a massive victory from senior Bea Machado Santos (Lisbon Portugal) over No. 15 Erin Routliffe, the highest ranked opponent Santos has ever defeated, before falling behind in the match, 3-2. With their backs against the wall, the Tigers used clutch performances from junior Amina Ismail (Maineville, Ohio) and freshman Mackenzy Middlebrooks (Fort Lauderdale, Fla.) to defeat the Crimson Tide in the final match of the regular season.
"It's exciting to get one of these wins," head coach Colt Gaston said. "The girls earned it. These girls, particularly the freshmen have been through a lot, losing some close battles. That was the biggest thing that I was proud of today, Mackenzy [Middlebrooks] learned from her experience. She was down in the third set, but she turned it around and really became a different player out there. That's what I am most proud of. We knew we were going to give ourselves an opportunity. We have been doing it all season. But today the goal was to finish. We had an opportunity to put the pedal down today and we were able to take advantage."
Mizzou was sharp in doubles play on Sunday, taking the No. 2 and No. 3 matches 6-3. At No. 2 the pairing of senior Cassidy Spearman (Laguna Niguel, Calif.) and freshman Mackenzy Middlebrooks (Fort Lauderdale, Fla.) earned their second doubles win of the weekend in a 6-3 victory. The pairing improved their record this season to 3-1 and a perfect 2-0 in Southeastern Conference play.
To clinch the doubles point, Mizzou looked to its No. 3 doubles pairing of junior Clare Raley (Atlanta, Ga.) and freshman Tate Schroeder (Centennial, Colo.). Despite it being just the second time all season that the two have played together, Raley and Schroeder came through, winning 6-3 to give Mizzou its second straight doubles point as a team.
Alabama struck first in singles play to tie the score, 1-1, but Santos was quick to respond, notching an impressive victory in straight sets over No. 15 Erin Routliffe, 6-0, 7-6 (1). This was the highest ranked opponent that Santos has defeated in her career, her fifth victory over a ranked opponent this season and the 10th such victory of her caeer. Santos finishes the regular season with 12 singles wins and 33 overall victories.
After Santos' win, Alabama put together two singles victories to take a 3-2 lead with two matches remaining, both in third sets. Ismail buckled down and took control of her match, winning it 6-4, 2-6, 6-4 for her team-leading 34th overall victory of the season. The win tied the match at 3-3 just as Middlebrooks gained a 5-4 advantage in her third set, her first lead of the set. In the final game, Middlebrooks hit another gear, smashed an ace in the final point to win the match 6-3, 2-6, 6-4, and clinched the dual for Mizzou, 4-3.
The Tigers hope to carry this momentum with them into the Southeastern Conference Tournament this week. Mizzou's first round opponent will be Ole Miss with first serve scheduled for 1 p.m. Wednesday in Nashville, Tenn.
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 No. 17 Bea Machado Santos/Amina Ismail (MIZ) vs. No. 8 Erin Routliffe/Maddie Pothoff (BAMA), 2-4 (unfinished)
No. 2 Cassidy Spearman/Mackenzy Middlebrooks (MIZ) def. Andie Daniell/Joanna Savva (BAMA), 6-3
No. 3 Clare Raley/Tate Schroeder (MIZ) def. Danielle Spielmann/Smith Hinton (BAMA), 6-3
Singles:
No. 1 Bea Machado Santos def. No. 15 Erin Routliffe (BAMA), 6-0, 7-6(1)
No. 2 Andie Daniell (BAMA) def. Tate Schroeder (MIZ), 3-6, 6-3, 6-1
No. 3 Danielle Spielmann (BAMA) def. Cassidy Spearman (MIZ), 6-2, 6-3
No. 4 Mackenzy Middlebrooks (MIZ) def. Smith Hinton (BAMA), 6-3, 2-6, 6-4
No. 5 Amina Ismail (MIZ) def. Maddie Pothoff (BAMA), 6-4, 2-6, 6-4
No. 6 Juliana Valero (BAMA) def. Clare Raley (MIZ), 6-3, 3-6, 6-2
Players Mentioned
