Over the past several weeks, the Furman women’s tennis team played in Boston, MA on Feb. 25-26 and in California on March 7-10.
During their visit, the Lady Paladins faced #67 Harvard. Despite a 5-2 loss to Harvard, sophomore Margaret Boyette and freshman Alex Moreno both won at the #4 and #5 singles positions, respectively. Senior Susan Bitetti lost a hard-fought, 7-5, 6-3 match at the #6 slot on her home turf. In doubles, junior Lauren Kline and Moreno teamed to defeat the #23 team of Tachibana and Norton.
The following day, the women cruised past Boston University with all straight set victories in singles to snap a two-match losing streak.
The next dual match was held on the West Coast, in California, where the women spent their Spring Break. On March 7, the Paladins faced UC Irvine in Irvine, CA. In doubles play, Kline/Moreno and junior Michelle Stanford/Murray all teamed for victories at the #1 and #3 spots, respectively, to clinch the doubles point. In singles, sophomore Katherine Oudin defeated Marivick Mamiit 6-2, 6-4, while Boyette notched a straight set win over Franziska Gottschin.
The match went down to a third set at the #6 singles position featuring Murray and Ali Facey. Murray came back in the second set, despite losing the first, but fell in the third to lose 6-3, 3-6, 6-3.
After the 4-3 loss to UC Irvine, the women returned to competition two days later to face Cal State Northridge in Northridge, CA. Oudin/Boyette cruised to an 8-1 victory at the #2 doubles spot, but the Paladins were not able to win an additional doubles match to clinch the doubles point. Boyette and Oudin carried their good form into singles with 6-4, 1-2 (ret.) and 6-1, 6-4 victories, respectively. At #2 singles, Stanford had a tough 6-1, 4-6, 6-4 loss to Nigora Sirojiddinova. Clinching the doubles point and four singles matches gave Cal State Northridge a 5-2 win over Furman.
The next day the Lady Paladins were in immediate danger against Loyola Marymount in Los Angeles. After losing the doubles point and two singles matches, Furman was down 3-0, but the women responded with two singles victories to narrow the lead. Stanford came out on top of Claudia Razzeto 6-1, 3-6, 6-4 at #2 singles. Then, with the dual match score tied at 3-3, Murray clinched the victory for Furman with a 6-7 (5), 7-5, 6-4 win over Reka Rohonyi at the #6 spot.
“The team played really well, and the momentum from my teammates winning their three set matches and the excitement of the cheering helped me to pull out that last set to get the win,” said Murray.
The women’s tennis team (4-7) returns home against East Carolina on March 17 and open Southern Conference play the following day in Statesboro, GA against Georgia Southern.