UNC Asheville Fends Off Presbyterian, Advances to Semifinals
UNC Asheville Women's Tennis will move on to Charlotte after a hard-fought 4-2 win advanced them to the Semifinals Saturday afternoon.
Doubles play went down to the wire, as the Bulldogs dropped the match on the No. 1 court, followed by a win on the No. 2 by
Linge Steenkamp and
Ari Siegel, 6-4.
On the No. 3 court,
Lize Alet Morkel and
Taylor Love found themselves down 4-1 before storming back to take the match and win the doubles point, 7-5.
Singles play was also a battle as four matches went to three sets, while the other two involved lengthy first-set tiebreaks.
Ami Grace Dougah (No. 2) and
Rosie Dickson (No. 5) each won in straight-sets by almost identical scores, with Dougah grinding out a 7-6 (7-5), 6-4 win, while Dickson earned a 7-6 (7-4), 6-4 victory.
The Blue Hose then pulled within striking distance, taking the matches on the Nos. 1 and 4 courts to cut the Asheville lead to 3-2.
After falling in her first set 2-6, Steenkamp (No. 3) emerged with the clinching point, winning her next two sets 6-3 and 6-4.
Beatrice Faureng was step-by-step with Steenkamp on the No. 6 court, finding herself with a 6-1, 3-6, 5-2 score before Steenkamp ended the match.
The Bulldogs' victory gives them their fourth semifinal appearance in program history, but their third in the last five seasons, not counting 2020's cancelled year.
Asheville will go toe-to-toe with the No. 1 seed in the Big South in Charleston Southern, who beat a Bulldog team that was less than 100% a week ago in Charleston 7-0.
The semifinals will take place next Friday, April 22
nd at Marion Diehl Tennis Center in Charlotte at 11:00 a.m.
#4 UNC Asheville 4, #5 Presbyterian College 2
Singles competition
1. JAMAL, Zeba (PCW) def. MORKEL, Lize Alet (AVL-W) 6-1, 3-6, 6-2
2. DOUGAH, Ami Grace (AVL-W) def. LEEMAN, Jessica (PCW) 7-6 (7-5), 6-4
3. STEENKAMP, Linge (AVL-W) def. SANCHEZ, Claudia (PCW) 2-6, 6-3, 6-4
4. PIEDRA, Lucianna (PCW) def. LOVE, Taylor (AVL-W) 6-1, 3-6, 6-1
5. DICKSON, Rosie (AVL-W) def. LACEY, Beth (PCW) 7-6 (7-4), 6-4
6. FAURENG, Beatrice (AVL-W) vs. DENNETT, Madison (PCW) 6-1, 3-6, 5-2, unfinished
Doubles competition
1. SANCHEZ, Claudia/LEEMAN, Jessica (PCW) def. DICKSON, Rosie/DOUGAH, Ami Grace (AVL-W) 6-2
2. STEENKAMP, Linge/SIEGEL, Ari (AVL-W) def. LACEY, Beth/JAMAL, Zeba (PCW) 6-4
3. MORKEL, Lize Alet/LOVE, Taylor (AVL-W) def. DE SOUSA, Valentina/PIEDRA, Lucianna (PCW) 7-5
Match Notes:
Doubles Order: 1, 2, 3
Singles Order: 2, 5, 1, 4, 3