Feb. 22, 2012

Results

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - The Samford University women's tennis team extended its winning streak to seven-consecutive matches Wednesday as the Bulldogs defeated the UAB Blazers, 7-0, in a cross-town rivalry held at the Samford Tennis Center.

With the victory, Samford (7-0) remained undefeated on the season and extended its winning streak at home to 12-straight matches. The Bulldogs have not been defeated at the Samford Tennis Center since dropping a hard-fought 4-3 decision to Furman on March 27, 2011.

Already this year, Samford has tallied non-conference victories against Middle Tennessee 4-3, Louisiana-Lafayette 6-1, Austin Peay 6-1, Jacksonville State 7-0, South Alabama 4-0, Southern Miss 7-0 and UAB 7-0.

The Bulldogs have outscored their opponents by a total of 41-5 this season and have not allowed an adversary to score a point since defeating Austin Peay, 6-1, on Feb. 3.

With Wednesday's loss, UAB (1-4) suffered its second straight defeat of the year and were blanked by Samford for a consecutive season.

The Bulldogs were victorious in two of the three doubles courts and won the doubles point to take an early 1-0 lead.

In the No. 1 doubles matchup, Samford's tandem comprised of Kristen Lewis and Lindsey Mallory defeated UAB's combination of Paula Alvarez and Isabel Fernandez, 8-6. With the win, the Bulldogs' duo of Lewis and Mallory remained undefeated in double play this season and improved to 7-0 at court No. 1.

Samford was also victorious on court No. 2 as Rebecca Kirven and Madelie Janse Van Rensburg toppled the Blazers' pairing of Rachel Daniell and Menanteau Moolman, 8-6. The Bulldogs' Kirven and Janse Van Rensburg moved to 5-1 in doubles play with the win.

In singles play, Samford swept the top five courts and won court on No. 6 by default. Due to injuries, UAB only had five healthy competitors Wednesday.

The Bulldogs' Lewis, Janse Van Rensburg and Kirven were all triumphant in straight sets against their Blazer counterparts, while Stephanie N'tcha and Lindsey Mallory outlasted their opponents in three-set battles.

Samford's Janse Van Rensburg extended her winning streak in singles play to seven-consecutive matches Wednesday and improved to 7-0 on the season. Senior Lindsey Mallory and true freshman N'tcha both extended their winning streaks to five-straight matches, while Kirven and Lewis have each won four-consecutive singles contests.

The Samford University women's tennis team will next be in action Saturday at 1 p.m. (CST) as the Bulldogs conclude their season-opening, eight-match homestand with a non-conference contest against the UTSA Roadrunners to be held at the Samford Tennis Center.