Braves Fall To Wingate In Lengthy Match
PEMBROKE – UNCP rallied for three-set victories in a pair of singles matches, but visiting Wingate swept through doubles play and then booked four singles bouts in straight sets en route to a 7-2 win over the Braves on Tuesday afternoon at the UNCP Varsity Tennis Courts.
The setback marked the eighth-straight series loss for UNCP (1-2) who fell for the second time in four days at home as well. Wingate (3-1) registered its second-straight win of the season as well as its second triumph over a Peach Belt Conference team after besting No. 27 Augusta State on the road last week. The Bulldogs are now 12-13 all-time in their series with the Black and Gold.
Wingate's No. 3 doubles tandem of Morgan Winston and Olivia Poole got the scoring started on the day for the visitors as it topped Christian Minnick and Maricel Quintero by an 8-3 score. Ali Evers and Samantha Alschlager registered a similar 8-3 triumph over UNCP's Mia Winterbottom and Madeline DiNunzio on court No. 2 before Kara Stasikelis and Kelli Ferguson rallied from a 3-0 deficit on court No. 1 to ouster UNCP's Jenna McGary and Hannah Herlocker by an 8-5 final.
Poole turned in a 6-1, 6-0 win over Quintero at No. 4 singles and Ferguson followed shortly thereafter with a 6-1, 6-1 victory over DiNunzio at No. 5 singles to give the team victory to the Bulldogs. Wingate would use Winston's 7-6 (8-6), 6-2 win over Herlocker on court No. 3, as well as Helen Goreski's 6-1, 6-2 win over Christian Minnick at No. 6 singles, to stretch its lead out to 7-0 on the team scoreboard, but the fight had not left the hosts just yet.
McGary rallied back from a first-set loss to topple Stasikelis by scores of 4-6, 7-6 (7-5), 10-6 on court No. 1 to spoil the shutout for the Bulldogs, while Winterbottom and Evers split their first two sets at No. 2 singles before the UNCP sophomore prevailed 7-6, 6-7 (5-7), 10-6.
UNCP will step back into conference play this weekend when it battles North Georgia (2-1, 0-0 PBC) in a noon matchup in Pembroke. Admission to all 2011 UNCP tennis matches is free.
