STARKVILLE, Miss. – Alcorn Women's Tennis carries a three-match winning streak to Starkville, Mississippi on Friday, Feb. 6, as the Braves travel to face Georgia Southern and Mississippi State for a pair of matches at A.J. Pitts Tennis Centre. Alcorn takes on Georgia Southern at 10 a.m., followed by a nightcap against the host MSU Bulldogs at 4 p.m.
Under the direction of interim head coach
Kersten Vanem-Walker, Alcorn Women's Tennis has gathered wins against Copiah-Lincoln CC, Southwest Mississippi CC and Mississippi Gulf Coast CC, respectively, on the spin. The Braves are seeking their first win of the spring season against a Division I opponent, having fallen to Texas A&M-Corpus Christi twice to begin the season, followed by a setback away to McNeese.
The Purple and Gold employ five freshmen on this year's roster, and just three juniors as well.
Hana Bajramovic and
Taylor Briffa each lead the squad with an equal 3-3 record in the spring for singles play.
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SCOUTING GEORGIA SOUTHERN
Georgia Southern is under the direction of head coach Sean McCaffrey. The Eagles enter the "Magnolia State" with a 1-3 overall record, collecting a win against the College of Charleston back on January 23, but fell by a 5-2 count at home to Stetson in their last match on January 30. Angelina Mihajlovic leads GSU in singles play with a 3-1 record, while teammate Evelyn Warkentin is 3-0 on the season.
This will be the first time in recorded history that Alcorn is taking on Georgia Southern in women's tennis action.
SCOUTING MISSISSIPPI STATE
MSU enters the weekend with their past three matches being canceled due to weather. The Bulldogs are looking to continue their non-conference success under head coach Chris Hoosyar, posting a 22–3 mark across his first two seasons, after sweeping their season opener against UAB and Samford. Doubles duo of Gianna Oboniye and Charlotte Kempenaers-Pocz are ranked No. 9 in the ITA Doubles Rankings. The duo finished the fall at the seventh slot but has yet to finish a doubles match this season.
MSU remains unbeaten against Alcorn, owning a 10-0 series record.
LAST TIME OUT FOR ALCORN (vs. Mississippi Gulf Coast CC)
Alcorn Women's Tennis captured its third consecutive win Monday afternoon as the Braves took down visiting Mississippi Gulf Coast by a 5-2 decision in the Alcorn home opener taking place at Hall's Ferry Road Tennis Courts.
Alcorn (3-3) raced out to a 1-0 advantage in the match capturing the doubles point with wins on two of the three courts.
In the number one doubles position, Alcorn's duo of
Zoe Crimmel and
Oihane Villanueva Lopez faced the Mississippi Gulf Coast tandem of Isona Arnaus and Victoria Ros Fabuel. The Braves duo controlled the net effectively and capitalized on their opponents' unforced errors to claim a 6-2 victory in what proved to be the final doubles match to finish. The Bulldogs prevented a doubles sweep when Pia Pugliese and Paige Baronich combined to defeat Alcorn's
Taylor Briffa and
Katherine Grados 6-2 on court two. Alcorn's duo of
Matea Andelic and
Hana Bajramovic dominated on court No. 3. Facing the Bulldogs combination of Katelyn Walker and Andee Rogers, the Braves' duo grabbed a 6-1 victory.
With Alcorn leading 3-0 in the match following a pair of early singles wins, Mississippi Gulf Coast used Isona Arnaus at the No. 1 position to deliver a straight-set win over Alcorn's
Zoe Crimmel, after Head Coach
Kersten Vanem-Walker was forced to shift her lineup prior to the start of the match. Arnaus controlled the tempo throughout the contest, breaking Crimmel's serve multiple times en route to the 6-3, 6-3 victory. In the number two singles spot, Alcorn's
Hana Bajramovic and MGCCC's Victoria Ros Fabuel played out one of the most exciting matches of the day. The first set proved to be a hard-fought battle, with Bajramovic eventually prevailing 7-5 after several service breaks by both players. The Alcorn freshman then seized control in the second set, utilizing a more aggressive serve-and-volley approach to claim a 6-2 victory.
The Bulldogs also claimed a singles win on court No. 3 with Pia Pugliese topping Alcorn's
Oihane Villanueva Lopez in a 6-1, 7-5 straight-set fashion. Lopez mounted a spirited comeback attempt in the second set, pushing Pugliese to the brink before the Bulldogs player closed out the match 7-5.
Taylor Briffa provided another crucial point for Alcorn State in the fourth singles position. Matched against Paige Baronich, Briffa displayed exceptional shot selection and court awareness throughout the encounter. The first set featured intense baseline rallies, with Briffa ultimately emerging victorious 7-5. She maintained her momentum in the second set, breaking Baronich's serve early and often to secure a 6-2 triumph.
The most dominant performance of the afternoon came from
Katherine Grados at the No. 5 spot. Facing Katelyn Walker, Grados delivered a masterclass in aggressive tennis, overwhelming her opponent with powerful groundstrokes and precise shot placement. The Alcorn player never faced a service break and converted nearly every break point opportunity, cruising to a 6-0, 6-0 victory.
Matea Andelic put an exclamation point on Alcorn's singles success with an equally impressive performance in the sixth position. Taking on Meredith Matthews, Andelic proved too much to handle as she turned in the 6-0, 6-1 victory.
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