http://csusports.com/article.asp?articleID=4146
ROCK HILL, S.C. – The No. 65-ranked Charleston Southern women’s tennis team lost the doubles point for just the second time this season, but the Buccaneers stepped up in singles action and came from behind to defeat No. 59-ranked and defending Big South Conference champions Winthrop University 4-3 Saturday afternoon.
The Buccaneers improved to 10-0 on the season and are now 4-0 in Big South Conference action. The Eagles fell to 6-8 overall and 1-1 in league play.
Winthrop was tabbed as the preseason favorites coming into the season. The team has won 10 of the last 11 regular-season championships, including the last eight. The Eagles had also gone undefeated in league play every season since the 2001 campaign.
The day started gloomy for CSU as all three doubles teams fell to the Eagles. Andrea Schutte and Angie Torres lost in the closest match of day from No. 1 doubles, falling 9-7 to Elizaveta Zaytseva and Yasmine Alkema.
Marija Dzakovic and Olga Makhova lost 8-5 to Sandra Herrera and Giovanna Portiolli at No. 2, and Susita Das and Brooke Pletcher were defeated 8-3 by Sara Abutovic and Lisa Wilkinson.
The loss from the tandem of Das/Pletcher snapped their six-match win streak and they are now 7-2 this season.
The Buccaneers never became deflated despite losing their first doubles point in eight matches.
CSU dominated singles action and was led by Makhova and Schutte. The duo each moved to 10-0 in singles competition this season, and they both took three sets to get there.
Makhova dropped Zaytseva 6-4, 2-6, 6-2 from the No. 1 position, and Schutte took down Alkema 3-6, 7-5, 6-2 from the No. 2 slot.
The two Buccaneers have owned their singles matches this season, but have both gotten to 10-0 in very different fashions.
Makhova has lost just three sets this season, including Saturday’s second set. Schutte, however, has had to battle for her unblemished singles record as four out of her last five matches have all gone to three sets.
Pletcher defeated Portiolli 6-1, 5-7, 7-5 from No. 4 singles, and Torres moved down to the No. 6 slot and handled Paula Pereira 6-2, 7-5. Torres has now won four-straight singles matches.
Dzakovic lost at No. 3 singles 6-1, 6-1 to Herrera, and Das was behind 6-0, 1-0 to Wilkinson and was forced to retire with an injury.
