HATTIESBURG, Miss. - The UALR Trojans (5-4) hurdled the .500 mark for the first time this season with a 4-3 win over Southern Miss (1-2) at the USM Tennis Complex on Monday. The two teams split the singles matches, 3-3, but UALR captured the doubles point by taking two of three to secure its fifth-straight win.
"My team needed to be both mentally and physically tough," said head coach Abby Wilson. "They proved they are by winning three competitive matches in two days."
Freshman Michaela McShane won her fifth-straight singles match by battling back from a set down in the No. 4 matchup to clinch the match for the Trojans. After dropping the first set, McShane won the second set in a tiebreaker, 7-6 (2), before winning the third set, 6-2, to close out the Golden Eagles.
The Trojans captured the first point of the day thanks to a doubles wins in the No. 1 and No. 2 matchups. First, sophomore Viktoriya Plyuta and junior Yana Kakovkina defeated USM's Alexus Coats and Frances Askew, 8-4, in the No. 1 match. McShane and junior Veronique Luksich then won their No. 2 match by an identical 8-4 count to secure the doubles point for UALR.
In singles, Plyuta got the Trojans off to a strong start with a win in the No. 1 spot. The sophomore was leading Coats, 4-2, when the USM player was forced to retire with an injury. The Golden Eagles battled back with a pair of singles victories by Elja van Berlo and Kate Lanier. Berlo outlasted Luksich, 7-6 (2), 6-2, and Lanier defeated Kakovkina in straight sets to even the score at 2-all. After freshman Nina Yates won the No. 5 singles match, 7-6 (3), 6-2, over Moorea Williams, and USM's Alex Bradley topped freshman Alina Kolegova in straight sets, the match deadlocked at three until McShane's victory in the No. 4 match sealed the win for the Trojans.
UALR returns to action on Saturday, Feb. 11, when they host Stephen F. Austin at Burns Park. Start time is set for 10 a.m.
(Source: University of Arkansas at Little Rock Athletics)