Racers Finish 2011-12 Season With Semifinal Loss To UTM

Saturday, April 21

Nashville, Tenn.

2 p.m.

Murray State

UT Martin

Photo by: Murray State Sports Information

Racers Finish 2011-12 Season With Semifinal Loss To UTM

4/21/2012 8:32:00 PM | Women's Tennis

Results I Gallery

The Murray State women's tennis team saw their run at the Ohio Valley Conference Championship end Saturday in a 4-1 loss to UT Martin at Centennial Sportsplex in Nashville, Tenn.

The No. 3 seeded Racers ended the 2011-12 season with a 12-11 record for Kara Amundson who was guiding the team in her first season as head coach.

“This is the hardest day of the year, to say that it's over.” Amundson said. “But I've said all season that this group is resilient and they showed that today. We battled on every single point. There were multiple three set matches but it just wasn't our day to pull it out.”

The match didn't start well for the Racers who dropped the doubles point. MSU's Carla Suga and Carolyn Huerth dropped their match to UTM's Alice Laing and Anna Winkelmann 8-3. The point went to UTM when Jordana Klein and Ashley Pierson lost 8-6 to Katie McCall and Johanie Van Zyl.

In singles play, MSU's Suga scored a 6-4, 6-4 win over Winkelmann. MSU was trying to stay in the match with Klien leading Van Zyl 3-0 in the third set when UTM got the deciding fourth point.

As with any collegiate season, all seniors will eventually play their final match. The Racers say goodbye to senior Cassidy Cunitz (Waterford, Mich.) and Ashley Pierson (Acworth, Ga.).

“They are just two amazing kids,” Amundson said. “Cassidy came out and put it all on the court every single day and Ashley did a great job of stepping up this season into a leadership role. We're going to miss them and they both did an amazing job of leading the Racers this season.”

The Racers made it to Saturday's semifinals after beating Morehead State on Friday in the first round 4-3.

2012 OVC Women's Tennis Championship - Semifinal
Murray State vs UT Martin
Apr 21, 2012 at Nashville, Tenn.
UT Martin 4, Murray State 1

Singles competition
1. TILEY, Jodie (UTM) def. CUNITZ, Cassidy (MUR-W) 6-1, 6-4
2. WINKELMANN, Anna (UTM) vs. CANTY, Ashley (MUR-W) 6-4, 3-6, 5-1, unfinished
3. VAN ZYL, Johanie (UTM) vs. KLEIN, Jordana (MUR-W) 4-6, 6-4, 0-3, unfinished
4. SUGA, Carla (MUR-W) def. SIMIC, Ivon (UTM) 6-4, 6-4
5. HERBOLD, Anna Marie (UTM) def. HUERTH, Carolyn (MUR-W) 6-4, 6-1
6. McCALL, Katie (UTM) def. PIERSON, Ashley (MUR-W) 3-6, 6-1, 6-2

Doubles competition
1. TILEY, Jodie/SIMIC, Ivon (UTM) vs. CUNITZ, Cassidy/CANTY, Ashley (MUR-W) 5-6, unfinished
2. LAING, Alice/WINKELMANN, Anna (UTM) def. SUGA, Carla/HUERTH, Carolyn (MUR-W) 8-3
3. McCALL, Katie/VAN ZYL, Johanie (UTM) def. KLEIN, Jordana/PIERSON, Ashley (MUR-W) 8-6

Match Notes:
Murray State 12-11
UT Martin 10-10
Order of finish: Doubles (3,2); Singles (1,4,5,6)
T-3:45