March 23, 2008

KENNESAW, Ga. - The Kennesaw State women's tennis team dropped a close 4-3 match to UT-Chattanooga Saturday, finishing its five-match homestand with a 2-2 record after a March 15th match with Lipscomb was postponed until April because of inclement weather.

The Owls (5-7, 1-4) fell behind early in the match, getting swept in all three doubles matches to cede the 1-0 lead to the Mocs (6-7).

"Doubles continues to be a deciding factor in our matches," lamented Kennesaw State head coach Brandon Padgett. "You either put yourself in an early hole or you put yourself in the driver's seat with your doubles performance."

Ayano Tanaka and Agatha Palider dropped their second-straight doubles match, falling 8-2 to Lindsey Ballard and Grace Robinette at No. 1. Karen Amman and Lindsay Dillon's doubles record fell to 1-1 for the weekend after losing 8-4 to Bonnie Adams and Beatta Knizat at No. 2.

Lindsey Whalen and Paula Takara also struggled against a pair of tough opponents, dropping the No.3 match 8-4 to Annie Green and Kate Ksiezopolski to give UTC the doubles point.

The Owls put together a run in the singles portion of the match, but couldn't overcome the early deficit.

Takara and Jenna Wright each earned their second-straight singles wins in the loss, taking the No. 4 and No. 6 matches in three-set marathons respectively to earn the Owls two of their three points.

Takara moved her spring singles record to 6-5 with her win over Knizat at No. 4. The Owls senior got herself in an early hole, losing the first set 2-6, before rebounding to win the second and third sets 6-3 and 6-4 to take the match.

Wright put together her first winning streak of the spring season, Saturday, with her three-set win over Ariana Sanjines in No. 6 singles. The sophomore from Brookwood High School, breezed through the first set, losing only one game en route to the 6-1 win. After Sanjines evened the match with a by taking the second set 6-4, the two battled in a back-and-forth third set before Wright emerged victorious 7-5.

Palider got herself back on the winning side of the ledger after moving to No. 3 singles. She earned the Owls third point with a 7-5, 6-0 straight set win over Adams. It was Palider's first win in her last seven singles matches.

Tanaka had her three-match winning streak snapped Saturday, falling 2-6, 3-6 to Ballard in No. 1 singles. The loss moved KSU's top freshman's spring record to 6-5.

Ammann and Baulis also dropped their matches in straight sets, allowing the Mocs to squeak out the victory.

Ammann, who was elevated to No. 2 for just the second time this season, fell 6-7(2), 5-7 to Adams in a hard-fought match. Baulis dropped her fifth-straight match after getting swept 2-6, 4-6 by Green.

"We fought hard today against a deep UTC team," added Padgett. "We made some changes due to our team situation, and overall, the team played well."

The Owls will next compete on the road, as they are set to travel to Florida for a pair of matches against Florida Gulf Coast and Stetson on March 27th and 29th.


Chattanooga 4, Kennesaw State 3


Doubles
1. Ballard/Robinette (UTC) def. Tanaka/Palider (KSU), 8-2
2. Adams/Knizat (UTC) def. Lindsay Dilion/Ammann (KSU), 8-4
3. Green/Kate Ksiezopolski (UTC) def. Takara/Lindsey Whalen (KSU), 8-4

Singles
1. Lindsey Ballard (UTC) def. Ayano Tanaka (KSU), 6-3, 6-2
2. Grace Robinette (UTC) def. Karen Ammann (KSU), 7-6, 7-5
3. Agatha Palider (KSU) def. Bonnie Adams (UTC), 7-5, 6-0
4. Paula Takara (KSU) def. Beata Knizat (UTC), 2-6, 6-3, 6-4
5. Annie Green (UTC) def. Allison Baulis (KSU), 6-2, 6-4
6. Jenna Wright (KSU) def. Ariana Sanjines (UTC), 6-1, 4-6, 7-5