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Mississippi State
Lady Vols Upset #44 MSU in 4-1 Match
April 03, 2015 | Women's Tennis
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. -- The Tennessee Lady Vols (11-11, 3-7) found their way into the win column for the third straight match, upsetting the No. 44 Mississippi State Bulldogs 4-1.
"I was proud of their effort," co-head coach Mike Patrick said after the match. "We fought hard. We started off in a little bit windier conditions than we are accustomed to playing in. The girls persevered to get the doubles point. With the rain and the lightning, they were able to come in and remain focused. They did a great job of fighting the whole time."
In doubles, both teams came out even. Tennessee won the first match on court 3 with junior Tiffany Tavares and sophomore Victoria Olivarez defeating the duo of Timea Guibe and Naomi Tran 8-6. Mississippi State answered back as Jasmine Lee and Louise Ronaldson beat the sophomore team of Eve Repic and Laurence Guevremont 8-7 (5).
The doubles point came down to a winner-take-all tiebreaker between the senior duo of Joanna Henderson and Caitlyn Williams versus Georgiana Patrasc and Martina Frantova. It went back and forth, but the seniors eventually put things out of reach as they won 8-7 (4), giving Tennessee a 1-0 lead.
It was a strange day on Rocky Top as inclement weather moved through the area during the match, forcing a rain delay at Barksdale Stadium. Play resumed after about 30 minutes but lightning moved the match inside of Goodfriend Tennis Center to finish things up.
All of this happened during the singles portion of the match. Before the delays, Mississippi State led on three courts with two being in the second set, but after the first delay, the Lady Vols came out fired up.
Henderson, who had lost the first set to Jasmine Lee 6-1, fought back to win the second set 6-3 and force a third set. Guevremont trailed 5-4 but kept playing and pulled even at 6-6 to go into a tiebreaker.
Not all Lady Vols started slow, though. Repic, the reigning SEC Player of the Week, came out firing on all cylinders as she beat #81 Georgiana Patrasc 6-4, 6-4 on court 2 to give Tennessee a 2-0 lead.
The Bulldogs still weren't ready to quit. Timea Guibe came out victorious on court 6 over Tavares in a 6-3, 6-4 match, pulling MSU to within one at 2-1.
It was too late for the Bulldogs, as the Lady Vols had already gained too much momentum. Guevremont beat #124 Louise Ronaldson 7-6 (4), 6-2 on court 4, and Henderson defeated #56 Jasmine Lee 1-6, 6-3, 7-5 on court 1, clinching the match and their second upset in a row for the Lady Vols.
"I was impressed with Laurence and how she was cheering for her teammates on the court," volunteer coach David Thornton said when asked about which player stood out. "She supported them, and she played a good match as well. Down the stretch in the second set, she kept to her game plan and played solid."
The Lady Vols will be back in action on Sunday for Senior Day as they face the No. 26 Ole Miss Rebels at 1 p.m. at Barksdale Stadium.
"The last few matches have helped us with confidence and momentum," co-head coach Sonia Hahn-Patrick said on recent play. "I think the girls have the belief that they can compete with anyone, and hopefully, they will use the momentum going forward."
Tennessee 4, Mississippi State 1
Singles
1. #113 Joanna Henderson, UT, def. #56 Jasmine Lee, MSU, 1-6, 6-3, 7-5
2. Eve Repic, UT, def. #81 Georgiana Patrasc, MSU, 6-4, 6-4
3. Caitlyn Williams, UT, led Martina Frantova, MSU. 6-3, 4-6 unf.
4. Laurence Guevremont, UT, def. #124 Louise Ronaldson, MSU, 7-6 (4), 6-2
5. Victoria Olivarez, UT, trailed Jennifer Brown, MSU, 7-6 (6), 4-4 unf.
6. Timea Guibe, MSU, def. Tiffany Tavares, UT, 6-3, 6-4
Doubles
1. #45 Henderson/Williams, UT, def. Frantova/Patrasc, MSU, 8-7 (4)
2. Lee/Ronaldson, MSU, def. Repic/Guevremont, UT, 8-7 (5)
3. Olivarez/Tavares, UT, def. Guibe/Tran, MSU, 8-6
Order of Finish Doubles (3, 2, 1); Singles (2, 6, 4, 1)
