MIAMI SHORES, Fla.- After starting out the season with an impressive 7-2 win at home against Saint Leo University, the Palm Beach Atlantic women’s tennis team have dropped their last three meets against tough Sunshine State Conference opponents. Wednesday the Fish looked to end their losing streak against another tough SSC rival. Barry University had other ideas, however, and the Fish dropped their fourth meet in a row to the Bucs 7-2.
In all, the match was hard fought and much closer than the final score indicates. The tandem of sophomore Montse Ripoll and Olga Alekseeva lost a tight #1-doubles match 8-5 to Barry’s duo of Angie Werschel and Laime Contreras. In singles play, the # 3-match between sophomore Lina Rubiano and Barry’s Yulia Kashelkina went down to the wire with Kashelkina taking the match 7-5, 6-4. The drama and disappointment continued with the #6-singles match, as PBA’s Pamela Artigas lost a close 7-6, 6-3 match to the Bucs’ Mei-Jing Ang.
Coming away with victories for the Fish were juniors Katie Livesay and Natalie Aleman. After dropping the first set 4-6, Aleman recovered to win the second set 6-4 and was able hold off Barry’s Laime Contreras in an intense third set tiebreaker 14-12. Livesay was also able to overcome adversity to defeat Barry’s Julie Cadet. After taking the first set 6-4, Livesay dropped the second set 2-6. Showing some resilience, Livesay was able to keep her composure and salvage the match with a third set tiebreak victory 10-8.
The Fish are now 1-4 on the season, and they will be back in action on Friday, February 19th, as they travel to Orlando to take on Brandeis University at 4:00 pm. Come back and visit PbaSailfish.com for all of the match highlights.
Barry University 7, Palm Beach Atlantic University 2
Doubles
#1- Werschel/Contreras (BU) defeated Ripoll/Alekseeva (PBA) 8-5
#2- Kashelkina/Wendling (BU) defeated Rubiano/Aleman (PBA) 8-2
#3- Peterson/Ang (BU) defeated Livesay/Artigas (PBA) 8-1
Singles
#1- Werschel (BU) defeated Ripoll (PBA) 6-0, 6-4
#2- Wendling (BU) defeated Alekseeva (PBA) 6-0, 6-2
#3- Kashelkina (BU) defeated Rubiano (PBA) 7-5, 6-4
#4- Aleman (PBA) defeated Contreras (PBA) 4-6, 6-4, 14-12
#5- Livesay (PBA) defeated Cadet (BU)
#6- Ang (BU) defeated Artigas (PBA) 7-6, 6-3
