NEW ORLEANS – The New Orleans Privateers were in a tough battle in several matches but they persevered in a 7-0 win over the Loyola Wolfpack on Tuesday afternoon at the Privateer Tennis Center.
Though New Orleans swept the board, they were made to work for every point starting in doubles.
Laurie Barendse and
Tristanne Dechoux found a way through the tough serving of Lucy Carpenter and Fatima Vasquez for a 6-4 victory.
Loyola then won on court three by the score of 6-4. That put all the marbles for the doubles point on court two.
The match was carried to a tiebreak but
Anastassia Kouchnareva and
Ksenia Reznitskaya prevailed for a 7-6 (5) win to give New Orleans the first point of the day.
Barendse and Dechoux finished their matches in straight sets. Barendse earned a double break in a quick first set on her way to a 6-2, 7-5 win. Dechoux raced out to early leads in each of her first two sets and held off Isabella Leano 6-4, 6-3.
The match clincher came from flight four where
Kateryna Kalistratova was playing for the first time this season. After winning a long first set, Kalistratova had to hold off a furious rally from Ariana Salguiero. In the tiebreak, Kalistratova saw a ball returned wide that finished the match for her fourth win of the season.
The remaining three matches were all three-set affairs. Kouchnareva battled against Lucy Carpenter and was pushed to a third set. Having to serve out at 6-5 up in the third, Kouchnareva floated a ball to the deep corner on match point in a 6-4, 4-6, 7-5 win.
Reznitskaya broke through in her third set, rallying from down early for a 1-6, 6-4, 6-3 victory.
The last match to finish was
Audelia Morin Kougoucheff's. Making her spring debut, Kougoucheff was in an intense battle with Adele Fereres. After Fereres took the first set, Kougoucheff won six of the last seven games in the second to push a third set super tiebreak.
Both players put the pressure on each other in some long rallies. That included a 23-shot rally that Kougoucheff won in the process. The sophomore prevailed 10-8 to win in her spring singles debut.
NEXT UP
The Privateers will face Atlantis on Saturday at 2 p.m.
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