The University of Mississippi Athletics
Ole Miss
Alabama
No. 12 Rebels Push Back Tide 4-2
3/8/2018 | Women's Tennis
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. - In their fourth true road match of the season and first in SEC play, the No. 12-ranked Ole Miss women's tennis team found a way to grab four points after dropping the doubles point at Alabama, to come away with a 4-2 win Thursday at the Roberta Alison Baumgardner Tennis Center.
The match was moved indoors due to the cold temperatures and the Alabama crowd of more than 300 helped the Crimson Tide capture a down-to-the-wire doubles point. Arianne Hartono and Alexa Bortles picked up a 6-3 win at No. 1 doubles, but Alabama won 6-2 on court two sending everyone to court three. Alabama's Jacqueline Pelletier and Smith Hinton staved off match points against Allie Sanford and Tereza Janatova, and ended up winning a tiebreaker 7-6(3) to clinch the point.
Within seconds of each other, sophomore Anna Vrbenska and freshman Sabina Machalova delivered straight set wins on courts five and two, respectively, as the Rebels took a 2-1 lead.
Alabama posted a straight set win on court six to tie the match, but then moments later, senior Natalie Suk finished off a 6-4, 6-4 win against Pelletier on court three to hand the Rebels a 3-2 lead.
With Tea Jandric having just split sets on court four, Hartono made sure it wouldn't be necessary finishing off the Crimson Tide's Daniell with a strong third set on court one. Hartono won a huge first set tiebreaker, 7-6(3), but dropped the second set 6-4. She gained an early break in the third and never looked back for 6-2.
Quick Hits...
• The Rebels improved to 10-3 overall, 1-2 in the SEC.
• The Rebels have now won three in a row against Alabama
• This marked the fourth time for the Rebels to win after dropping the doubles point this season.
• Arianne Hartono and Alexa Bortles improved to 16-8 overall and 7-3 at No. 1 doubles.
• Anna Vrbenska improved to 8-1 in dual matches.
• Sabina Machalova improved to 6-4 in dual matches, 1-1 at No. 2 singles.
• Arianne Hartono is now 18-5 overall, 9-1 at No. 1 singles. She has clinched four matches this season.
#12 Ole Miss 4, #49 Alabama 2
Doubles
1. #11 Arianne Hartono/Alexa Bortles (OM) def. Andie Daniell/Luca Fabian (UA) 6-3
2. Ann Selim/Alba Cortina-Pou (UA) def. Sabina Machalova/Tea Jandric (OM) 6-2
3. Jacqueline Pelletier/Smith Hinton (UA) def. Allie Sanford/Tereza Janatova (OM) 7-6(3)
Order of Finish: 2, 1, 3
Singles
1. #13 Arianne Hartono (OM) def. #124 Andie Daniell (UA) 7-6(3), 4-6, 6-2
2. #106 Sabina Machalova (OM) def. Smith Hinton (UA) 6-2, 6-2
3. Natalie Suk (OM) def. Jacqueline Pelletier (UA) 6-4, 6-4
4. Tea Jandric (OM) vs. Ann Selim (UA) 5-7, 6-2, sus.
5. Anna Vrbenska (OM) def. Luca Fabian (UA) 6-1, 6-2
6. Alba Cortina-Pou (UA) def. Alexa Bortles (OM) 6-4, 6-2
Order of Finish: 5, 2, 6, 3, 1
Courtside with Head Coach Mark Beyers...
"It's never easy winning on the road in the SEC. Alabama put up a big-time battle. We are proud of the ladies for fighting back after having match points for the doubles point and losing it. We've shown multiple times now that we can win four singles matches against good teams. It will be another tough battle against Auburn on Saturday."
Next up...
The Rebels continue on the road as they face No. 18 Auburn Saturday at Noon.
For more information on Ole Miss Women's Tennis, follow the Rebels on Twitter at @OleMissWTennis, on Facebook at OleMissWTennis and on Instagram at OleMissWTennis. Also follow Coach Beyers on Twitter, @MarkBeyers.
Players Mentioned
