Lady Vols Drop Tight 4-3 Decision to Mississippi State

Friday, February 26

Starkville, Miss.

4 p.m. ET

University of Tennessee

Mississippi State

KNOXVILLE, TN - 2021.01.15 - Tennessee vs. UT-Martin

Photo by: Andrew Ferguson/Tennessee Athletics

Lady Vols Drop Tight 4-3 Decision to Mississippi State

February 26, 2021 | Women's Tennis

Box Score

By: Ricky Martinez

STARKVILLE, Miss. – Friday evening saw the No. 20-ranked Tennessee women's tennis team drop a hard-fought contest to Mississippi State, 4-3, in Starkville, Mississippi.

The Lady Vols (6-3, 0-2 SEC) collected the doubles point over the Bulldogs (8-2, 1-2 SEC) with wins on courts one and three.

Junior Daria Kuczer and freshman Esther Adeshina picked up the first doubles win with an easy 6-1 triumph over the No. 41-ranked pair of Tamara Racine and Magda Adaloglou on court one. The win moves Kuczer and Adehsina to 8-3 in dual-match play this season and also marks their first win over a ranked opponent.

On court three, the sophomore tandem of Carly Briggs and Callie Creath held off the Bulldog pair of Lilian Poling and Chloe Cirotee. The Lady Vol sophomore duo, who played together for the first time this season, battled for a 6-4 win to give UT a 1-0 lead in the dual.

In singles play, the Lady Vols won a pair of matches on courts three and four. UT did not surrender a point easily, forcing a third set on every court the Bulldogs' claimed.

No. 52-ranked junior Rebeka Mertena opened singles scoring with a quick 6-2, 6-3 win on court three over Adaloglou to give UT a 2-0 advantage. The Liepaja, Latvia native holds a 7-3 mark in dual-match play and moves to 3-3 on court three this season.

The Bulldogs then won a pair of three-set matches on courts one and five to knot the score at 2-2.

Senior Tenika McGiffin methodically downed Poling 7-5, 7-5 on court four to give UT a 3-2 advantage with courts two and six in third sets. The senior moves to 6-1 in dual-match play and 11-9 on the year.

After the Bulldogs tied the dual on court three, Creath gave a gallant effort but came up short and dropped her first three-set bout of the year to Marta Falceto on court six to give MSU the match.

Up next, the Lady Vols will end their road trip with a 2 p.m. ET contest with Ole Miss on Sunday in Oxford, Mississippi.

Mississippi State 4, #20 Tennessee 3
Singles competition
1. #69 Emma Antonaki (MS) def. Eleonora Molinaro (UT) 2-6, 7-5, 6-2
2. Magda Adaloglou (MS) def. #118 Carly Briggs (UT) 6-3, 3-6, 7-5
3. #52 Rebeka Mertena (UT) def. Alexandra Mikhailuk (MS) 6-2, 6-3
4. Tenika McGiffin (UT) def. Lilian Poling (MS) 7-5, 7-5
5. Chloe Cirotte (MS) def. Daria Kuczer (UT) 3-6, 6-0, 6-2
6. Marta Falceto (MS) def. Callie Creath (UT) 6-3, 4-6, 7-6 (7-5)

Doubles competition
1. Esther Adeshina/Daria Kuczer (UT) def. #41 Magda Adaloglou/Tamara Racine (MS) 6-1
2. Emma Antonaki/Alexandra Mikhailuk (MS) vs. Tenika McGiffin/Eleonora Molinaro (UT) 5-2, unfinished
3. Carly Briggs/Callie Creath (UT) def. Chloe Cirotte/Lilian Poling (MS) 6-4

Match Notes:
Tennessee 6-4, 0-2 SEC; National ranking #20
Mississippi State 9-2, 1-2 SEC
Order of finish: Doubles (1,3); Singles (3,1,5,4,2,6)

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