University of Missouri
No. 2 Georgia
No. 46 @MizzouTennis' Home Slate Comes to a Close in 4-0 Loss to No. 2 Georgia
4/9/2017 4:15:00 PM | Tennis
Mizzou's senior class played its final home match at the MIzzou Tennis Complex
COLUMBIA, MO. – No. 46 Mizzou (10-12) fought hard against the No. 2 Georgia Bulldogs (16-3) but fell 4-0 despite being close in several matches. The Tigers forced third sets in three singles matches against three ranked opponents, but ran out of time as Georgia clinched the match 4-0.
"I thought we could have started better in doubles," head coach Colt Gaston said. "Any time you play a team like Georgia, the No. 2 team in the country, you want to set the tone and we weren't able to accomplish that today. But, we fought back. We're continuing to show every match how much fight we have, and how much heart we have on this team. It's something special to see how far this program has come, to play the No. 2 team so hard, to win sets, being up in the third set with opportunities to win the match, those things are very important. We're giving ourselves an opportunity in every match, I'm proud of the overall fight."
In doubles competition, Georgia came out strong and took the No. 2 and No. 3 matches to secure the point. Mizzou's No. 17 ranked paring of senior Bea Machado Santos (Lisbon, Portugal) and junior Amina Ismail (Maineville, Ohio) was engaged in a tight battle at No. 1 doubles against Georgia's No. 20 ranked pairing, but the match had to be abandoned after the Bulldogs took the other two matches.
In singles, Mizzou received incredible efforts from a number of players as the Tigers attempted to upset the No. 2 Bulldogs.
At No. 1, Santos seemed poised for a massive win on senior day against the No. 28 ranked Ellen Perez. Santos rebounded from dropping the first set to tie the match 4-6, 6-4. She carried the momentum from the second set into the third, taking three of the first four games, but ran out of time as Georgia clinched the match during the final set with victories at No. 3, No. 4 and No. 6.
Playing in her second career match at No. 2, freshman Tate Schroeder (Centennial, Colo.) put on a show, taking No. 11 Elena Christofi to three sets, 7-5, 4-6, before her match also had to be abandoned at the beginning of the final set.
On court 5, Ismail was locked in a close battle, dropping the first set in a tiebreak, 7-6 (6). In the second set, Ismail battled back, taking a 5-3 lead before the match was cut short.
Mizzou will head out onto the road to finish out the rest of the 2017 regular season. The Tigers will face Auburn on Friday at 5 p.m. and Alabama the following Sunday at 1 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 No. 17 Bea Machado Santos/Amina Ismail (MIZ) vs. No. 20 Ellen Perez/Caroline Brinson (UGA), 3-5 unfinished.
No. 2 No. 28 Elena Christofi/Kennedy Shaffer (UGA) def. Cassidy Spearman/Tate Schroeder (MIZ), 6-1.
No. 3 Marta Gonzalez/Mariana Gould (UGA) def. Mackenzy Middlebrooks/Clare Raley (MIZ), 6-2.
Singles:
No. 1 Bea Machado Santos (MIZ) vs. No. 28 Ellen Perez (UGA), 4-6, 6-4, 3-1 unfinished.
No. 2 Tate Schroeder (MIZ) vs. No. 11 Elena Christofi (UGA), 7-5, 4-6, 0-0 unfinished.
No. 3 No. 64 Kennedy Shaffer (UGA) def. Cassidy Spearman (MIZ), 6-0, 6-3.
No. 4 No. 66 Caroline Brinson (UGA) def. Mackenzy Middlebrooks (MIZ), 6-2, 7-5.
No. 5 Amina Ismail (MIZ) vs. Marta Gonzalez (UGA), 6-7 (6), 5-3 unfinished.
No. 6 No. 112 Mariana Gould (UGA) vs. Clare Raley (MIZ), 6-2, 6-1.
Players Mentioned
