Marshall University Athletics
Marshall University
No. 73 Utah
No. 55 Herd Drops Close Match to No. 73 Utah
3/3/2015 12:00:00 AM | Women's Tennis
HUNTINGTON, W.Va. -- After five hours of competitive tennis, No. 73 Utah (3-6) snatched a 4-3 win over No. 55 Marshall (7-4) Monday at the Huntington Tennis Club in Barboursville, W. Va. The loss is the Herd's first at home this spring.
A battle for the doubles point set the tempo for the evening.
Sophomore duo Derya Turhan (Bad Salzuflen, Germany) and Anna Pomyatinskaya (Sochi, Russia) had no problem handling nationally ranked No. 31 team of Berkarova/Pletcher, downing them 8-3.
Senior Kai Broomfield (Toronto, Canada) and freshman Marija Bogecevic (Belgrade, Serbia) lost a tough 8-5 battle at the No. 2 spot.
With the doubles point on the line, freshman Maddie Silver (Grand Rapids, Mich.) and sophomore Rachael Morales (Reynoldsburg, Ohio) put the Herd ahead 1-0 with a tight 8-7(5) win on court 3.
The battle continued throughout singles competition, as Utah took the first two singles matches over Pomyatinskaya on court 3 (6-2, 6-3) and Turhan on court 1 (7-5, 6-2).
Silver evened the overall score with a straight set win (6-1, 6-4) on court 2, but the Utes snatched a third win over Bogecevic 7-5, 6-2 at the No. 5 spot to maintain an advantage.
Broomfield's rebut was a 7-6(4), 6-2 win on court 4, making the overall score 3-3.
Morales found herself fighting for the deciding match for the second time in a row- against Penn State she won a three set decider to clinch the win. A tough 6-4, 4-6, 6-1 defeat at the No. 6 spot was her fate, giving Utah its fourth win to decide the match.
Next weekend the Herd will hit the road for two away matches. Friday, March 6, Marshall will take on University of Cincinnati in Cincinnati, Ohio, before heading to Morgantown, W.Va., to face in-state rival West Virginia on Sunday.
Quotes by Head Coach John Mercer
"I was very impressed with Utah's team. They were solid at every spot in their lineup and just overall played better than us today."
"I was happy with how we played doubles. I think we continue to get better each time we play so that is encouraging it see."
"Although singles wasn't a favorable outcome, we played really well in some of our matches."
Tennis Match Results
UTAH vs Marshall
3/2/2015 at Barboursville, W.Va.
(Huntington Tennis Club)
#73 UTAH 4, #55 Marshall 3
Doubles competition
1. Derya Turhan/Anna Pomyatinskaya (MAR) def. No. 31 Tereza Bekerova/Margo Pletcher (UTAH) 8-3
2. Sarah Richter/Jena Cheng (UTAH) def. Marija Bogicevic/Kai Broomfield (MAR) 8-5
3. Rachael Morales/Maddie Silver (MAR) def. Luisa da Rosa/Elena Najera-Salas (UTAH) 8-7 (7-5)
Order of finish: Doubles (1,2,3)
Singles competition
1. No. 53 Tereza Bekerova (UTAH) def. Derya Turhan (MAR) 7-5, 6-2
2. Maddie Silver (MAR) def. Sarah Richter (UTAH) 6-1, 6-4
3. Jena Cheng (UTAH) def. Anna Pomyatinskaya (MAR) 6-2, 6-3
4. Kai Broomfield (MAR) def. Luisa da Rosa (UTAH) 7-6 (7-4), 6-2
5. Alexia Petrovic (UTAH) def. Marija Bogicevic (MAR) 7-5, 6-2
6. Margo Pletcher (UTAH) def. Rachael Morales (MAR) 6-4, 4-6, 6-1
Order of finish: (3,1,2,5,4,6)
Players Mentioned
