NEW ORLEANS, La. – Third-seeded Alabama State ended sixth-seeded Alcorn's season with a commanding 4-0 victory in the quarterfinals of the Southwestern Athletic Conference Women's Tennis Tournament on Friday at City Park Tennis Center in New Orleans, Louisiana.
The Hornets wasted little time taking control of the match, sweeping the doubles point with wins at the No. 1 and No. 3 positions to set the tone early.
Diana Craciun and Melisa Mekic teamed up to defeat the Braves duo of
Natalija Nikolic and
Katherine Grados 6-2 in top flight play, while Kesmat El Tawil and Senna Van Den Heuvel knocked out Alcorn's tandem of
Zoe Crimmel and
Oihane Villanueva Lopez 6-4 on court three in doubles to give Alabama State an early stranglehold on the match.
Alabama State carried that momentum into singles play and never looked back en route to the semifinals with the victory.
Melisa Mekic continued her impressive day on the court, delivering a dominant 6-1, 6-0 shutout of
Zoe Crimmel at the No. 3 singles position to give Alabama State its second point of the match.
Senna Van Den Heuvel kept the pressure on with a convincing 6-3, 6-0 decision over
Oihane Villanueva Lopez at No. 5, and Alexia Campagna sealed the victory for the Hornets with a 6-2, 6-1 triumph over
Natalija Nikolic at No. 4 to clinch the team's fourth and decisive point.
Matches at the No. 1, No. 2 and No. 6 singles positions were left unfinished, respectfully, once the outcome was decided, as Diana Craciun, Kesmat El Tawil and Jovana Petrovic did not need to complete their respective matches against
Amelia Tatafu,
Hana Bajramovic and
Katherine Grados.
With the win, Alabama State improved to 9-9 on the season and advances to the SWAC Tournament semifinals. For Alcorn, the loss brings their season to a close at 7-18 overall under interim head coach
Kersten Vanem-Walker.
Follow Alcorn State Sports on Twitter (
@BravesSports) for all the latest news and updates. Follow us on Instagram (
@AlcornSports) and YouTube (
Braves Sports Network)
for even further behind-the-scenes action across all Braves Athletics.
COMPLETE RESULTS
Singles Competition
1. Diana Craciun (ASU) vs.
Amelia Tatafu (ALC) unfinished
2. Kesmat El Tawil (ASU) vs.
Hana Bajramovic (ALC) unfinished
3. Melisa Mekic (ASU) def.
Zoe Crimmel (ALC) 6-1, 6-0
4. Alexia Campagna (ASU) def.
Natalija Nikolic (ALC) 6-2, 6-1
5. Senna Van Den Heuvel (ASU) def.
Oihane Villanueva Lopez (ALC) 6-3, 6-0
6. Jovana Petrovic (ASU) vs.
Katherine Grados (ALC) unfinished
Doubles Competition
1. Diana Craciun/Melisa Mekic (ASU) def.
Natalija Nikolic/
Katherine Grados (ALC) 6-2
2. Cléanne Pickel/Alexia Campagna (ASU) vs.
Amelia Tatafu/
Hana Bajramovic (ALC) unfinished
3. Kesmat El Tawil/Senna Van Den Heuvel (ASU) def.
Zoe Crimmel/
Oihane Villanueva Lopez (ALC) 6-4
