LMU Tops Tennis Teams in SAC Opener

HARROGATE, TN -- Catawba fell to Lincoln Memorial in men's and women's tennis action to open South Atlantic Conference play on Sunday afternoon at the LMU Tennis Complex.  The Railsplitters won the men's match 6-3 and claimed a 5-4 victory in the women's match.  The Catawba Indian men are now 5-4 overall and 0-1 in the SAC, while the women are 6-3, 0-1.  LMU's men, ranked 50th in NCAA II, improve to 2-1, 1-0 and the women up their mark to 2-0, 1-0.

The Catawba women got off to a good start with wins in two of the three doubles matches, but the Lady Splitters rallied back with four singles wins.  Andrea Bell (Franklin, NC/Franklin HS) and Rachel Rudisill (Gastonia, NC/Highland Tech HS), who combined for a win at #2 doubles, won singles matches for Catawba.

The Catawba men fell behind 2-1 after doubles and could not make up the deficit in several tight singles matches.  Jess Goodall (Johannesburg, SOUTH AFRICA/Northcliff) and Jack Mordey (Leighton Buzzard, ENGLAND/Tring) won singles matches for the Indians.

MEN’S MATCH RESULTS
LINCOLN MEMORIAL 6, CATAWBA 3
Singles
#1 Philipp Hoffmann (LM) d. Alex MacDonald 7-5, 6-2
#2 Jess Goodall (C) d. Will Sparks 7-5, 6-4
#3 Marcelo Alvim (LM) d. Matthew Nicholson 6-0, 7-5
#4 Alexey Minevskiy (LM) d. Mitchell McDonald 7-6, 7-6 (10-2)
#5 Jack Mordey (C) d. Gabriel Martins 7-5, 6-2
#6 Guilherme Rocha (LM) d. Aaron Vanhorenbeck 6-1, 6-1

Doubles
#1 MacDonald/Nicholson (C) d. Hoffmann/Minevskiy 8-4
#2 Sparks/Alvim (LM) d. McDonald/Mordey 8-2
#3 Martins/Michael Koenen (LM) d. Goodall/Vanhorenbeck 8-6
RECORDS: #50 Lincoln Memorial 2-1, 1-0 SAC; Catawba 5-4, 0-1 SAC

WOMEN’S MATCH RESULTS
LINCOLN MEMORIAL 5, CATAWBA 4
Singles
#1 Leah Donoff (LM) d. Liz Renteria  6-4, 6-3
#2 Elena Vasilyeva (LM) d. Lauren Sledd  6-2, 6-2
#3 Alexandra Granger (LM) d. Olivia Myers  6-4, 6-2
#4 Andrea Bell (C) d. Aura Penalosa  6-2, 6-4
#5 Jessica Baker (LM) d. Hannah Kovach  6-2, 6-3
#6 Rachel Rudisill (C) d. Summer Robinson 6-4, 6-1

Doubles
#1 Donoff/Vasilyeva (LM) d. Renteria/Sledd 8-1
#2 Bell/Rudisill (C) d. Granger/Penalosa 8-6
#3 Myers/Kovach (C) d. Baker/Robinson 8-6
RECORDS: Lincoln Memorial 2-0, 1-0 SAC; Catawba 6-3, 0-1 SAC