http://www.csusports.com/article.asp?articleID=4218
CLINTON, S.C. – A season that started with high hopes has for now lived up to the expectations after a 7-0 win over Presbyterian College Wednesday afternoon at PC Tennis Complex gave the No. 67-ranked Charleston Southern women’s tennis team sole possession of the second Big South Conference regular-season championship in school history.
The Buccaneers (15-1, 7-0 Big South) were near flawless as they handled the overmatched Blue Hose (4-13, 1-4 Big South), and the road blue and gold unseated Winthrop University as the regular-season champs for the first time since 2001.
Charleston Southern secured the team’s second conference title, which is the first since the 1998 campaign.
The victory tied the school record for most wins in a single season. This is also the third-straight match CSU has blanked their opponent, and all 18 singles matches have been won in straight sets.
The record-setting day began with a shaky victory in doubles action. The tag-team of Susita Das and Brooke Pletcher blew through PC’s Megan Davis and Daryl Thompson 8-3 at No. 3 doubles, but the other two matches were much closer.
Olga Makhova and Marija Dzakovic fell to Virginia Waldron and Olivia McMillan 8-5 at No. 2, but the No. 1 pair of Andrea Schutte and Angie Torres secured the doubles point with an 8-6 triumph over the stingy duo of Heather Heusel and Paige Oelke.
Dzakovic dispatched of Davis in a swift 6-1, 6-2 drubbing at No. 3 singles. Torres had no troubles taking down Waldron 6-2, 6-2 at No. 6, and Makhova clinched the conference championship with a 6-0, 6-2 victory over Heusel at the first position.
After CSU clinched, the remaining Buccaneers left on the court put the hammer down and ensured the shutout.
Schutte defeated Oelke 6-4, 6-1 at No. 2 singles, and Andrea Gonzalez had a stellar finish in a 7-5, 6-1 win over Thompson at No. 5 singles.
The last match of the day was a nailbiter, as Pletcher saw herself in a slugfest with Cara Caruso at the fourth position. The gritty Caruso pushed the first set to a tiebreaker, but Pletcher didn’t give her a chance in the 7-3 victory.
Caruso stayed strong in the second set, but she was no match for Pletcher as the CSU junior took the match with a 6-4 second-set victory.
Five different Bucs have now posted at least 10 wins in singles play this season. Makhova leads the way with her 15-1 mark, and Schutte is right behind with her 13-2 record. Dzakovic sits at 13-3, Pletcher is 11-5 and Torres is 10-4.
Makhova, Pletcher, Schutte and Torres finished conference action with a combined singles mark of 25-2.
