DALLAS — For the second straight match, the No. 44 St. Mary's University Women's Team knocked off a team ranked higher in the national polls, beating No. 24 DBU 4-3 on Saturday morning.
The Rattlers needed the entire lineup in the one-point win, improving to 13-2 overall and 5-1 in the tough Lone Star Conference. The Patriots fell to 16-3 on the season and 3-3 in league play.
"Winning the doubles point was crucial today," said Director of Tennis
Bill Macom. "DBU battled for every singles point and made us earn everything."
The early morning momentum swung to the Gold and Blue during doubles. DBU won the set at number two, but StMU buckled down with a pair of 6-4 wins to earn the first point. Senior
Paula Garrote (Cartagena, Spain) and junior
Alessia Terlizzi (Andria, Italy) knotted the doubles at one set each with their win at number three, and the tandem of sophomore
Janel Ospanova (Karaganda, Kazakhstan) and junior
Stela Sifuentes (Eagle Pass, Texas) clinched the doubles point at line one.
DBU knotted the score at 1-1 with a straight sets victory on court five. Terlizzi swung the lead back to the Rattlers with her 10th consecutive singles win. Nine of those 10 wins have come in straight sets, with Saturday's scores being 6-2, 6-4.
The Patriots once again tied the score, winning a three-set battle at line four. Garrote fought back after dropping the opening set, but a single break of serve in the decider swung the score to DBU.
No. 31
Selina Wu, a sophomore from San Gabriel, Calif., won her opening set, 6-3, then fought through two tough sets of identical 6-4 scores, with her as the victor in the final set.
All three sets had 6-4 scores on court two. Ospanova won the first set, but Madalyn Smelley won the next two for the 3-3 team score, leaving the match in the hands of Sifuentes on court six.
Sifuentes won her opening set 6-2, but Andrea Delgado came storming back with a 6-1 score the second set. Sifuentes was able to refocus, regroup, and lift the Rattlers to another win with her 6-3 deciding set victory.
The Rattlers are now tied for second in the Lone Star Conference standings, 1.5 games back from Midwestern State, which is 7-0 in the league. StMU returns home to host Texas A&M-Kingsville on April 18 and Angelo State on April 19 for the final two home contests of the regular season.
