The University of Mississippi Athletics
Ole Miss
Auburn
Rebels Beat Auburn, Clinch Share Of SEC West
4/9/2010 | Women's Tennis
AUBURN, Ala. -- The Ole Miss women's tennis team, ranked No. 18 in the nation, lost the doubles point at Auburn, but dominated the singles for a 4-3 win and a share of the SEC West Championship.
The win over Auburn coupled with Arkansas' loss to Vanderbilt sends the Rebels to Alabama with a chance to win their first ever outright SEC West title. Ole Miss won a share of the West in 2005. Sunday's match begins at 1 p.m. at the UA Varsity Courts in Tuscaloosa, and fans can follow all the action with live scoring by going to www.OleMissSports.com and clicking on the link in the Rebel Hub.
"We were disappointed in how we played doubles," head coach Mark Beyers said. "But then we played solid in singles and won four in straight sets. We are really excited to get a least a share of the SEC West, but now we want to go to Alabama and win it all to ourselves."
Auburn jumped out to a 1-0 lead by claiming the doubles point. Abby Guthrie and Laura van de Stroet improved to 8-1 in the SEC with an 8-1 win at No. 3 doubles. Auburn then won at No. 1 doubles, setting up the final outcome at No. 2 between Ole Miss' Connor Vogel and Gabby Rangel and Auburn's Fani Chifchieva and Jil Hastenrath. With the match tied at 7-7, Auburn won the final two games to clinch the point.
The Rebels came into the match 1-2 when dropping the doubles point, but they quickly gained momentum in singles, winning five of the first sets. Auburn briefly went ahead 2-0 when 54th-ranked Chifchieva handed 57th-ranked Kristi Boxx a 6-2, 6-2 loss at No. 1 singles.
That would be it for the Tigers until the outcome was decided, as Ole Miss finished off straight set wins on courts 2-5. First off, van de Stroet downed Hastenrath 6-1, 6-3 at No. 5 to improve to 7-2 in the SEC.
Abby Guthrie followed with a 6-4, 6-2 win over Caroline Thornton at No. 4 to even it up, and then the reigning SEC Player of the Week, Karen Nijssen, put the Rebels ahead 3-2, cruising 6-2, 6-2 against Daniela Vukadinovic at No. 2.
Vogel clinched her second consecutive match, topping Myrthe Molenveld 6-4, 6-3 at No. 3.
Auburn won the final match at No. 6, in a supertiebreaker.
#18 Ole Miss 4
#57 Auburn 3
DOUBLES
1. Molenveld/Schippers (AU) def. Boxx/Njissen (OM) 8-5
2. Chifchieva/Hastenrath (AU) def. Vogel/Rangel (OM) 9-7
3. Guthrie/van de Stroet (OM) def. Thornton/Vukadinovic (AU) 8-1
Order of Finish: 3, 1, 2
SINGLES
1. Fani Chifchieva (AU) def. Kristi Boxx (OM) 6-2, 6-2
2. Karen Njissen (OM) def. Daniela Vukadinovic (AU) 6-1, 6-2
3. Connor Vogel (OM) def. Myrthe Molenveld (AU) 6-4, 6-3
4. Abby Guthrie (OM) def. Caroline Thornton (AU) 6-4, 6-2
5. Laura van de Stroet (OM) def. Jil Hastenrath (AU) 6-1, 6-3
6. Paulina Schippers (AU) def. Gabby Rangel (OM) 4-6, 7-5, 1-0(9)
Order of Finish: 1, 5, 4, 2, 3, 6
