Women's Tennis | 4/14/2018 11:27:00 PM

Clutch Comeback Puts Lady Braves in Finals of SWAC Championships

NEW ORLEANS – The Alcorn State University women's tennis program recorded its second straight upset victory with a 4-3 win over Prairie View A&M on Saturday indoors at the Hilton Riverside in the semifinals of the SWAC Championships.
 
The match score was tied 3-3 for the fifth-seeded Lady Braves against the second-seeded Lady Panthers when junior Marlene Maier came through with a 6-1, 7-6 win over Timara Maxwell at No. 6 singles. It was a showdown between two student-athletes who were undefeated against SWAC opponents this season.
 
Alcorn erased a 3-1 deficit in the match. After dropping the doubles point for the second day in a row, the Lady Braves came back with wins at No. 1, 3, 5 and 6 singles.
 
Sophomore Alessandra Maganuco got it started with a 6-0, 7-6 result at the No. 3 spot. At the top, junior Bianca Birkenstock came back for a 5-7, 6-1, 6-3 win.
 
The No. 5 and 6 singles matches started after the first four and Alcorn needed to win both of them. Sophomore Anastasia Vaganova cruised past Shaddae Findley at No. 5 with a 6-1, 6-2 score to setup Maier in the final match.
 
The overall match lasted four hours and eight minutes.
 
The victory came a day after Alcorn knocked off third-seeded Southern 4-2 in the quarterfinals.
 
The women's championship will be played back outdoors at 9 a.m. at the Pepsi Tennis Center as Alcorn faces No. 1 Alabama State. The Lady Braves are seeking their fifth championship in program history and their second in the last three years.
 
Women's Tennis
Alcorn 4, Prairie View A&M 3
Singles Competition
1. Bianca Birkenstock (ALCN) def. Stacy Lackey (PVAM) 5-7, 6-1, 6-3
2. Neharika Rama (PVAM) def. Ammaarah Tim (ALCN) 7-5, 6-3
3. Alessandra Maganuco (ALCN) def. Jimena D-Castellanos (PVAM) 6-0, 7-6
4. Constanza Aranguiz (PVAM) def. Klavdija Bukovec (ALCN) 6-2, 6-4
5. Anastasia Vaganova (ALCN) def. Shaddae Findley (PVAM) 6-1, 6-2
6. Marlene Maier (ALCN) def. Timara Maxwell (PVAM) 6-1, 7-6
 
Doubles Competition
1. Neharika Rama/Constanza Aranguiz (PVAM) def. Bianca Birkenstock/Anastasia Vaganova (ALCN) 6-1
2. Shaddae Findley/Tatiana Ruhl (PVAM) def. Ammaarah Tim/Alessandra Maganuco (ALCN) 6-1
3. Stacy Lackey/Timara Maxwell (PVAM) vs. Marlene Maier/Klavdija Bukovec (ALCN) 4-3, unfinished
 
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