The University of Mississippi Athletics
Ole Miss
South Carolina
No. 17 Rebels Drop Road Match at South Carolina
3/22/2015 | Women's Tennis
COLUMBIA, S.C. - Freshman Arianne Hartono and junior Mai El Kamash both won their singles matches in straight sets, but it was not enough, as the No. 17 Ole Miss women's tennis team suffered a 4-2 loss at South Carolina Sunday.
The match had to be played indoors due to inclement weather. The Gamecocks took the early 1-0 lead by winning the doubles point with a pair of 8-3 wins on courts two and one.
El Kamash tied the match at 1, downing Brigit Folland 6-4, 6-1 at No. 3 singles, but the Gamecocks regained the lead when 74th-ranked Elixane Lechemia defeated 12th-ranked Julia Jones 6-3, 6-2 at No. 1 singles.
Hartono claimed a second set tiebreaker for a 6-3, 7-6(2) win over Caroline Dailey at No. 2 singles to square the match again.
That would be it for Ole Miss though, as South Carolina picked up consecutive wins at four and five to close out the match. Meghan Blevins defeated Erin Stephens 6-4, 7-6(2) at four and Hadley Berg beat Zalina Khairudinova 6-2, 6-3 at No. 5.
"It was a pretty disappointing result today," head coach Mark Beyers said. "South Carolina came out ready to play and really took it to us in doubles. I thought in singles we did a better job of matching their energy level, but came up just short."
The Rebels (11-6, 3-5) return home to host LSU and Texas A&M next weekend at the Palmer/Salloum Tennis Center.
For more information on Ole Miss Women's Tennis, follow the Rebels on Twitter, @OleMissWTennis, on Facebook atOleMissWTennis and on Instagram at OleMissWTennis.
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