Murray State University Athletics
Murray State
UT Martin
Women’s Tennis OVC Regular Season Champions
4/13/2014 8:57:00 PM | Women's Tennis
Results | OVC Bracket and Schedule | Photo Gallery
For the first time since 2002-03, Murray State's women's tennis team has won the OVC regular season championship. The Racers controlled their destiny and took care of business, winning at UT Martin 5-2 to secure their title. The Racers won the OVC championship in 2007, but were the No. 2 seed heading into the tournament.
The Racers finished the season 14-5 and 9-1 in the OVC.
With the win, the Racers earn a share of the regular season conference championship and are also the top seed in next weekend's OVC tournament in Paducah, Ky. They will receive a bye into the semifinal round next Friday, April 18. Their opponent will be the winner of the #4-#5 seed matchup between SIU Edwardsville and UT Martin.
"I was really happy with the team's mindset heading into the match," said head coach Olga Elkin. "We knew what was on the line and didn't let the pressure change the way we played. They're a good doubles team, we talked about how important getting that first point was."
The win did not come easy, as UTM was fighting for their own postseason position. Starting with the doubles point, the Racers went down early after Eleonore and Verginie Tchakarova were defeated 8-4 at the first draw.
Teams two and three stepped up though when the pressure was on. On court three, Carla Suga and Megan Blue traded points with Katie McCall and Jessica Silva. The teams remained deadlocked at 7-7 and 8-8 before heading to a tiebreaker which the Racers won 7-2 for a 9-8 win.
Andrea Eskauriatza and Erin Patton, playing on court two, also needed to go to a tiebreaker. The Racers held a small 5-3 lead, but the Skyhawks stormed back, tying the match 6-6 and then again at 7-7. With the doubles point on the line, MSU easily took the tiebreaker 7-1, giving the Racers a 1-0 lead in the match. The victory put Eskauriatza and Patton at 18-2 this season and was the 20th doubles win for Patton.
In singles it was Patton again who clinched the OVC championship for the Racers defeating Katie McCall 6-2, 6-4 at the No. 6 draw. The win also snapped a three-match losing streak for Patton.
"That was such a huge win for Erin. She was on a bit of a losing streak and getting a win heading into the tournament was really good for her, said Elkin. "There isn't much consistency from team to team at the No. 6 position, so it was definitely good for Erin to get a win to get her confidence up."
Eskauriatza dominated at the first draw. She took down Ivon Simic 6-0, 6-1 to improve to 8-1 in the OVC and 21-5 overall.
On court three, Eleonore Tchakarova concluded her regular season with a perfect 10-0 record. Tchakarova defeated Sarah Candeloro 6-4, 6-1 to reach a perfect 10-0 conference record and team-leading 22 singles wins.
Eleonore's twin sister, Verginie Tchakarova also finished her season blemish-free. Tchakarova's 6-1, 6-2 win put her at 9-0 on the season.
MSU will now await the winner of the #4-#5 matchup between SIUE and UTM for their semifinal round opponent. The OVC tournament will be held at the Larry J. Heflin Tennis Center in Paducah, Ky. for the second year in a row. The tournament starts with the quarterfinal round on Thursday, April 17. MSU's semifinal match will take place on Friday, April 18 at 2 p.m. The championship round will be the following day, Saturday, April 19, also starting at 2 p.m.. Admission is free for all spectators.
Continue to check GoRacers.com for updates and information regarding the OVC championship.
