Courtesy of LA Tech Athletic Communications
After falling behind by two points, Louisiana Tech reeled off four straight singles wins to defeat Houston, 4-2, on a windy Monday afternoon at the Barbara Wallace Winston Tennis Facility.
“Today was a hard-earned win,” said Tech head coach Amy Sargeant. “We faced adversity after dropping the doubles point against a ready-to-go Houston team. The objective today was to step up and compete with a championship mindset. The way we responded in singles is a testament to the team’s hard work and trust in the process.
“Success comes in a variety of ways, and this team is learning to love the battle and compete on their times. I am proud of where we are as a team and look forward to the next opportunity to grow.”
Houston (1-3) claimed the doubles point with victories on courts one and three and then followed that up with a straight-set win at the No. 5 position in singles to take a 2-0 lead.
It was all LA Tech (6-3) from there though. Tiffani Nash got the Bulldogs on the scoreboard first with a 6-2, 7-5 win over Sonya Kovalenko at the No. 4 position.
Then it was steady play of Olga Bienzobas tying things up at 2-2 with her sixth straight win, a 7-5, 6-4 victory against Laura Slisane at the No. 1 spot. Not long after that, her doubles partner Alexia Romero also claimed her sixth straight singles win with a 6-4, 6-4 victory over Nina Skoric on court six.
The clincher then came at the No. 2 spot where Ana Rodrigues outdueled Maria Dzemeshkevich. After pulling out the first set in a tiebreak, 7-6 (5), the junior got up 3-0 before Dzemeshkevich fought back with four straight games. Rodrigues countered though with three straight games of her own, taking the second set, 6-4.
The battle on court three was stopped between Valentina Vasquez and Sophie Schouten. Vasquez had just won the second set, 6-3, after dropping the first set in a tiebreaker.
