The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga women’s tennis got a huge monkey off its back with a 4-3 win over Furman on Sunday. The Mocs snapped a 24-match losing streak against the Paladins with their first win in the series since 1997.
UTC had come close in the last four meetings, falling 4-3 each time. Today’s win gives Chattanooga a 14-2 overall record as it remains unbeaten in Southern Conference action at 2-0.
The Mocs started off the day strong as they won two out of three doubles matches to take an early lead over Furman. Senior Claire Mulyadi and Junior Katie Polk finished first, posting a (8-2) win over Harper Caswell and Karlee Bryde at No. 3.
The most exciting match of the day came at No. 2 doubles. Senior Kaylene Chadwell and junior Kelsey Coots rallied back after being down 6-0 and brought the match to a 7-7 tiebreaker. The duo fought back once again after being down 5-2 in the tiebreaker to post an 8-7(5) victory. That won the doubles point for the Mocs in dramatic fashion.
“The No. 2 doubles had a slow start, which would be an understatement, but they kept believing. They felt like if they got on their game, they could win the match,” stated head coach Jeff Clark. “Kaylene and Kelsey made some big shots to clinch the doubles point.”
Junior Kayla Jones led the way in the singles competition as she was the first off the court with a (6-3, 6-2) win over Ansley Speaks at No. 1. Furman began to fight back as Caswell posted a (6-2, 6-2) victory over Mulyadi at No. 5 to bring the match to 2-1 overall.
Freshman Samantha Caswell helped the Mocs pull away after with her (6-2, 6-2) win over Karlee Bryde at No. 4 to put Chattanooga up 3-1 in the match. The Paladins continued to battle back as Alex Moreno-Kaste posted a (7-5, 7-5) win over Coots at No. 2.
Furman tied up the match at 3-3 when Blair Martin finished with a (7-6(3), 6-2) victory over Chadwell at No. 3. Tensions were high as it came down to the final singles match at No. 6. Junior Alison Storie came through in a big way, securing the overall victory for Chattanooga with a (6-4, 6-2) win over Alejandra Gil.
“Allie Storie has been great for us all season,” added Clark. “She has worked so hard and has come through for us many times so I’m really happy for her that she could have the clinching win.”
The Paladins drop to 4-12 overall and 1-1 in conference play. Chattanooga will be back in action against ETSU on Thursday in Johnson City at 1:00 p.m. (E.S.T.).
Furman 3, Chattanooga 4
March 29th, 2015 at Chattanooga (UTC Tennis Courts)
Singles competition
1. Kayla Jones (UTC) def. Ansley Speaks (FU) 6-3, 6-2
2. Alex Moreno-Kaste (FU) def. Kelsey Coots (UTC) 7-5, 7-5
3. Blair Martin (FU) def. Kaylene Chadwell (UTC) 7-6(3), 6-2
4. Samantha Caswell (UTC) def. Karlee Bryde (FU) 6-2, 6-2
5. Harper Caswell (FU) def. Claire Mulyadi (UTC) 6-2, 6-2
6. Alison Storie (UTC) def. Alexandra Gil (FU) 6-4, 6-2
Doubles competition
1. Ansley Speaks/Alex Moreno-Kaste (FU) def. Kayla Jones/Samantha Caswell (UTC) 8-7(3)
2. Kaylene Chadwell/Kelsey Coots (UTC) def. Blair Martin/Alejandra Gil (FU) 8-7(5)
3. Claire Mulyadi/Katie Polk (UTC) def. Karlee Bryde/Harper Caswell (FU) 8-2
Match Notes
Furman 4-12
Chattanooga 14-2
Order of finish: Doubles (3,1,2); Singles (1,5,4,2,3,6)
T-3:45 A-72