BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – The Samford women's tennis team produced its fifth win of the season after battling Murray State for a 4-3 victory on Saturday afternoon at the Samford Tennis Center.
 
BOX SCORE (PDF)
 
The Bulldogs bounced back after their loss against UAB earlier this week to improve their overall record to 5-5, while Murray State was handed its fourth loss of the season for a record of 1-4.
 
"I thought we did a good job today of putting our loss from a few days ago behind us. We were noticeably better in some pressure situations today. It was great to see Rouxanne, Natalia, and Olivia all rebound today with wins, when they all three had tough losses on Wednesday", said Head Coach David Vest.
 
"As expected, today was a battle. It always is against Murray State. They are well-coached and fight as hard as any team we play. We are happy to get the win against what will definitely be one of the top teams in the OVC this year."
 
After wins at the No. 1 and 2 spots in doubles competition, Samford took an early one-point advantage before heading into singles. Rouxanne Janse Van Rensburg and Alexis Lopez locked in their fourth win as a pair this season after defeating Anastassiya Sharapova and Gabrielle Geolier, 6-4, at court one. Natalia De Ugarte and Cindy Oest followed up with a win of their own at the No. 2 spot, recording a 6-2 victory over Anja Loncarevic and Sarah Bureau.
 
Three Bulldogs would capture wins in singles to push Samford past Murray State. Rouxanne Janse Van Rensburg battled Sara Loncarevic in the first set for a 7-5 win and blanked her 6-0 in the second to earn her seventh win at the No. 1 spot this season. On the next court over, Natalia De Ugarte defeated Anastassiya Sharapova in three frames, 5-7,7-5, 6-1, to add another point for Samford, while Olivia Jablonski had no problem defeating her opponent, Gabrielle Geolier, at the No. 6 spot with a score of 6-1, 6-1.
 
The Samford women's tennis team will take to the road to compete against Troy University on Friday, Mar. 5 with the match starting at 1:30 p.m at the Lunsford Tennis Complex.
 
SAMFORD 4, MURRAY STATE 3
Singles Competition
1: Rouxanne Janse Van Rensburg def. Sara Loncarevic 7-5, 6-0
2: Natalia De Ugarte def. Anastassiya Sharapova 5-7, 7-5, 6-1
3: Marit Kreugel def. Alexis Lopez 7-5, 7-5
4: Sarah Bureau def. Cindy Oest 6-4, 6-2
5: Anja Loncarevic def. Samantha Nanere 2-6, 6-4, 6-2
6: Olivia Jablonski def. Gabrielle Geolier 6-1, 6-1
 
Doubles Results
1: Rouxanne Janse Van Rensburg / Alexis Lopez def. Anastassiya Sharapova / Gabrielle Geolier 6-4
2: Natalia De Ugarte / Cindy Oest def. Anja Loncarevic / Sarah Bureau 6-3
3: Marit Kreugel / Sara Loncarevic def. Alex Koniaev / Ally Hayduk 6-2
 
FOLLOW THE BULLDOGS:
For the latest news and information on Samford women's tennis, visit the official website for Samford Athletics at SamfordSports.com. Fans can also follow the Bulldogs on social media at /SamfordSports (Facebook, @SamfordWTennis (Twitter), and @SamfordWTN (Instagram).