JONESBORO, Ark. – In a match that lasted upwards of five and a half hours, the ULM tennis team swept through the bottom half of singles play to outlast Texas-El Paso 4-2 at the Jonesboro Country Club in Jonesboro, Ark., on Saturday afternoon.
Playing on the three available courts, ULM grabbed an early 2-1 lead and senior Marion Lehmann came from behind at number six singles to secure the victory and prevent the match from being decided in doubles play.
“This was probably the most intense and exciting match I have been involved with at ULM,” Warhawks head coach Terrence De Jongh said. “I am very proud of the way our girls stepped up against a very good team and came out with the win. Everybody was into the match and it was a lot of fun to be a part of.”
UTEP (9-4) got on the board early with a victory at the top singles position before the Warhawks were able to retake the lead.
Freshman Monica Winkel downed Megan Pritchard at number five singles 6-1, 6-4 to knot the score. Shortly thereafter senior Sharon Makhanya gave the Warhawks the lead with a 6-3, 6-3 win at number three singles over Carolina DeLuca.
The Miners would not go away and knotted the overall score at 2-2 with a victory at number two singles. ULM (5-4, 0-1 Sun Belt) rattled off back-to-back individual singles wins to claim the match.
Sophomore Claire Clark ran her undefeated mark to a perfect 9-0 and put the Warhawks back on top with a 6-3, 6-0 win over Marina DeLuca in the fourth position to set up the match-deciding bout. Ranked 118th in the nation, the Bossier City, La., native has downed each of her opponents in straight sets this season.
Having dropped the first set 6-4 and trailing in the second set 5-1, Lehmann was able to rally. The Besancon, France, native was able to defend three match points and pull out a 10-8 tiebreaker in the second set. With Lehmann ahead 2-0 in the deciding third set, UTEP’s Ximena Fuentes was forced into injury retirement, giving the Warhawks the deciding point in the match.
“Marion came up huge for us today,” De Jongh said. “She fell behind early and had her back against the wall, but continued to fight her way out of it. Winning is a team effort, but her play today really put us over the top. This was a great way to start the weekend.”
With the match decided and time constraints and lack of courts, both teams opted not to play doubles.
The Warhawks remain in Jonesboro and will play conference-foe Arkansas State at 12 p.m. Weather permitting, the match will either take place outdoors at Allen Park or indoors at the Jonesboro Country Club. ULM is still tentatively scheduled to play Southeast Missouri State on Sunday in Jonesboro before returning home.
Singles (1,5,3,2,4,6*)
1. Weronika Bloczynska (UTEP) def. Vivian Polak (ULM) 6-4, 6-1
2. Martina Trieweiler (UTEP) def. Lena Satge (ULM) 6-1, 6-0
3. Sharon Makhanya (ULM) def. Carolina DeLuca (UTEP) 6-3, 6-3
4. Claire Clark (ULM) def. Marina DeLuca (UTEP) 6-3, 6-0
5. Monica Winkel (ULM) def. Megan Pritchard (UTEP) 6-1, 6-4
6. Marion Lehmann (ULM) def. Ximena Fuentes (UTEP) 4-6, 7-6 (10-8), 2-0 ret.
