Racers Sweep Weekend Matches to Wrap Up Nonconference Schedule

Saturday, March 13

Kenlake Tennis Center

5 P.M.

Murray State

Lipscomb

Photo by: Dan Hasko - Murray State Athletics

Racers Sweep Weekend Matches to Wrap Up Nonconference Schedule

3/14/2021 11:21:00 PM | Women's Tennis

Box Score 1 Box Score 2

Victories over Lipscomb and Western Kentucky send Racers into OVC play on high note

Murray State women's tennis wrapped up the nonconference portion of its 2021 schedule with two home matches over the weekend, hosting Lipscomb on Saturday and Western Kentucky on Sunday. The Racers swept the weekend, posting solid overall team performances to earn 4-3 victories over both schools.

Match 1 - Murray State 4, Lipscomb 3

The Racers played close doubles matches on all three courts but relinquished the doubles point on the day.

"We played well in doubles overall, but unfortunately Lipscomb was just too good in the key moments of the matches. We needed to prove to ourselves that we can win matches when we lose the doubles point, and the girls showed a lot of grit to be able to stay in the match on every court. It was a great team effort."

In singles, the Racers got victories from Sara Loncarevic (6-2, 6-0), Sarah Bureau (6-2, 7-6), Anja Loncarevic (6-2, 6-4), and Gabrielle Geolier (6-1, 3-6, 6-2) at the #2, #3, #5, and #6 positions respectively. Stasya Sharapova and Marit Kreugel both took their opponents to three sets, but fell just short in the third.

"Marit and Stasya played well enough to win but their opponents just outplayed them in the end. Anja and Sara controlled their matches from the very beginning and were able to get two comfortable wins for us. Our freshmen stepped up and played some very smart tennis, so I am very proud of them. Sarah beat a very good opponent, and Gaby was clutch for us. She handled the pressure of a 3-3 match like an upperclassman, and I am very proud of the way she played her third set, staying calm and confident but at the same time playing with fire to give us the win," added Caetano.

Match 2 - Murray State 4, Western Kentucky 3

The Racers got off to a slow start in doubles play, but fought back to win the day against Western Kentucky.

"Doubles went very bad against WKU. For some reason our energy was low and we let WKU dominate us from the beginning and I felt like we did not fight back. In singles, we had a shaky start on some courts, but overall everyone did a good job on staying with their opponent and fighting for every point. A win in this fashion against a big rival just feels great."

Sara Loncarevic (2-6, 6-2, 6-4), Sarah Bureau (6-4, 6-4), Anja Loncarevic (6-2, 5-7, 6-4), and Gabrielle Geolier (6-4, 2-6, 6-2) would be responsible for the four singles points at the #1, #3, #5, and #6 spots that led to the overall match victory.

"Sarah (Bureau) keeps showing why she is such a strong spot for us in the lineup, and she is a freshman playing like a veteran right now. Gaby had another big win for us to tie the match at 2-2, and again she was clutch in the third set. Then, all the attention was on our senior twins and I was confident that they were going to pull it off for us. Sara had lost a close match to this same girl last year, and this time she stuck to the game plan and showed why she is one of the best players in our conference right now. Today, Anja was playing some of the best tennis I have ever seen her play. She had a little setback in the second set, but came back with the right mindset in the third, playing with a lot of confidence and being clutch when the match was up for grabs. I couldn't be prouder of her.

The Racers will return to action on Saturday when they host Belmont at the Bennie Purcell Tennis Courts to open OVC competition. The match is slated to start at 12:00 p.m.