Bajramovic, Villanueva Lopez Strong in Starkville

STARKVILLE, Miss. – Women's Tennis suffered a pair of setbacks Friday afternoon, as Alcorn dropped matches in non-conference fashion to Georgia Southern and Mississippi State at A.J. Pitts Tennis Centre. The Braves fell by a 4-0 score line in the morning session to Georgia Southern, before ultimately suffering a similar 4-0 setback to Mississippi State in the nightcap.
 
GEORGIA SOUTHERN 4, ALCORN 0
Georgia Southern defeated Alcorn 4-0 on Friday morning as the Eagles collected wins in each of the doubles areas along with three singles positions to take the non-conference win from Alcorn at A.J. Pitts Tennis Centre on the campus of Mississippi State in Starkville, Mississippi.
 
Georgia Southern (2-3) took the doubles point with a sweep at all three positions.
 
Alcorn (3-4) fielded the tandem of Hana Bajramovic and Amelia Tatafu at the No. 1 doubles position, but the Braves fell by a 6-2 decision to the Eagles' combo of Mackenzie Leopold and Evelyn Warkentin. GSU grabbed 6-1 results at both No. 2 and No. 3, respectively.
 
In singles action, freshman Hana Bajramovic was leading 2-1 in the second set of her match against Georgia Southern's Angelina Mihajlovic at the No. 3 position. However, the Québec City, Québec native dropped her opening set, 6-2, while the match went unfinished with results from other matches already deciding the overall contest.
 
GSU used a 6-1, 6-0 decision in top-flight action with the Eagles' Evelyn Warkentin collecting the win from Alcorn's Amelia Tatafu for the 2-0 match advantage. The Eagles made it 3-0 with a 6-0, 6-2 score on court two as Franzi Heinemann defeated the Braves' Zoe Crimmel in straight sets.
 
The match was decided with Nanaka Kijima claiming a 6-0, 6-1 victory from Alcorn's Katherine Grados at No. 6.
 
COMPLETE RESULTS
Singles Competition
1. Evelyn Warkentin (GS) def. Amelia Tatafu (ALC) 6-1, 6-0
2. Franzi Heinemann (GS) def. Zoe Crimmel (ALC) 6-0, 6-2
3. Angelina Mihajlovic (GS) vs. Hana Bajramovic (ALC) 6-2, 1-2, unfinished
4. Mackenzie Leopold (GS) vs. Oihane Villanueva Lopez (ALC) 6-0, 4-2, unfinished
5. Amelie Rosadoro (GS) vs. Taylor Briffa (ALC) 6-1, 4-1, unfinished
6. Nanaka Kijima (GS) def. Katherine Grados (ALC) 6-0, 6-1
 
Doubles Competition
1. Mackenzie Leopold/Evelyn Warkentin (GS) def. Hana Bajramovic/Amelia Tatafu (ALC) 6-2
2. Angelina Mihajlovic/Lisen Rinman (GS) def. Zoe Crimmel/Oihane Villanueva Lopez (ALC) 6-1
3. Franzi Heinemann/Nanaka Kijima (GS) def. Taylor Briffa/Katherine Grados (ALC) 6-1
 
 
MISSISSIPPI STATE 4, ALCORN 0
Hana Bajramovic and Amelia Tatafu took two games in top-flight doubles on Friday afternoon, as Alcorn Women's Tennis suffered a 4-0 defeat to Southeastern Conference (SEC) opponent Mississippi State on the road at A.J. Pitts Tennis Centre in Starkville, Mississippi. The match was the second of two played on the day for the Braves.
 
Hana Bajramovic and Amelia Tatafu battled hard in the No. 1 doubles spot against Mississippi State's tandem of Noemie Oliveras and Carolina Troiano before suffering a 6-2 setback in the end. The Bulldogs (3-0) captured the doubles point in the match with Chiara Di Genova and Thessy Ntondele Zinga wrangling a 6-1 decision on court three from the Braves' team of Taylor Briffa and Katherine Grados, respectfully.
 
Alcorn (3-5) was able to take a few games in several positions that went unfinished on the day.
 
Katherine Grados, a freshman from Lawrenceville, Georgia, fell 6-2 in the opening set to MSU's Athina Pitta at No. 6 singles. The Collins Hill High alum trailed 3-0 in the second set before it went unfinished with the match having been decided on other courts. Likewise, Alcorn freshman Bajramovic grabbed three games in her match against Carolina Troiano, with the match being unfinished at 6-1, 5-2 in favor of the Bulldogs No. 2 player.
 
MSU earned a win on court one with a 6-0, 6-0 straight set win for Thessy Ntondele Zinga over Alcorn's Tatafu. Noemie Oliveras laid claim to a 6-1, 6-0 point at No. 3 singles with her win over the Braves' Zoe Crimmel, a junior from Aspen, Colorado.
 
Meanwhile, the fourth point and match decider came via Mia Robinson's 6-0, 6-1 win at No. 5 over Alcorn freshman Taylor Briffa from Melbourne, Victoria (Australia).
 
Alcorn is back in action Saturday, Feb. 7, when the Braves travel to their second SEC opponent in as many days – this time a trip to Alabama at 11 a.m., in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. Another strong showing came from junior Oihane Villanueva Lopez, as she claimed a pair of games in the No. 4 spot from the Bulldogs' Chiara Di Genova in an abandoned match.
 
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COMPLETE RESULTS
Singles Competition
1. Thes Ntondele Zinga (MSU) def. Amelia Tatafu (ALC) 6-0, 6-0
2. Carolina Troiano (MSU) vs. Hana Bajramovic (ALC) 6-1, 5-2, unfinished
3. Noemie Oliveras (MSU) def. Zoe Crimmel (ALC) 6-1, 6-0
4. Chiara Di Genova (MSU) vs. Oihane Villanueva Lopez (ALC) 6-1, 3-1, unfinished
5. Mia Robinson (MSU) def. Taylor Briffa (ALC) 6-0, 6-1
6. Athina Pitta (MSU) vs. Katherine Grados (ALC) 6-2, 3-0, unfinished
 
Doubles Competition
1. Noemie Oliveras/Carolina Troiano (MSU) def. Hana Bajramovic/Amelia Tatafu (ALC) 6-2
2. Athina Pitta/Mia Robinson (MSU) vs. Zoe Crimmel/Oihane Villanueva Lopez (ALC) 5-2, unfinished
3. Chiara Di Genova/Thes Ntondele Zinga (MSU) def. Taylor Briffa/Katherine Grados (ALC) 6-1