Prior's Three Set Comeback lifts Catawba over Limestone 5-4

SALISBURY, NC -- The Catawba women’s tennis team defeated Limestone on Wednesday afternoon at the Johnson Tennis Center.  The women’s 5-4 victory over the Saints improved their record to 7-3 on the season.  Limestone fell to 3-2.  With the match tied 4-4, Catawba’s Ally Prior (Raleigh, NC/Wakefield HS) won the final point for the victory after winning in three sets.  Prior came back after falling 2-6 in the first set and responding 6-2 and 6-2.

In doubles action, the Lady Indians fell 2-1, with their lone win coming at the number one duo of Liz Renteria (Miramar, FL/Archbishop McCarthy HS) and Sloan Kessler (Onalaska, WI/La Crosse Aquinas HS).    The pair won 8-1 while Limestone took the #2 and #3 seeds by scores of 8-2 and 8-4, respectively.

The Lady Indians turned things around in singles play winning four of the six matches, including the tight match between Prior and Julia Moreira.  Renteria improved to 9-1 with straight set wins over Paige Palinkas. Olivia Myers (Lexington, NC/W. Davidson HS), and Andrea Bell (Franklin, NC/Franklin HS) picked up the remaining matches for Catawba.

Limestone’s Segolene Ollivier was the only Saint player to win in both singles and doubles.

Catawba returns to action on Sunday, March 3, in Hilton Head, SC, as they take on Quincy.  Catawba will play four matches in four days at Hilton Head.

WOMEN’S MATCH RESULTS
CATAWBA 5, LIMESTONE 4
Singles
#1 Liz Renteria (C) d. Paige Palinkas 7-5, 6-2
#2 Segolene Ollivier (L) d. Sloan Kessler 6-1, 7-6
#3 Lauren Bolender (L) d. Lauren Sledd 6-3, 6-0
#4 Ally Prior (C) d. Julia Moreira  2-6, 6-2, 6-2
#5 Olivia Myers (C) d. Ariel Svantesson 6-1, 6-3 
#6 Andrea Bell (C) d. Stembeni Zhanda 6-1, 6-0

Doubles
#1 Renteria/Kessler (C) d. Palinkas/Bolender 8-1
#2 Ollivier/Moreira (L) d. Sledd/Prior 8-2
#3 Svantesson/Zhanda (L) d. Bell/Rachel Rudisill 8-4
RECORDS: Catawba 7-3, Limestone 3-2

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