Montana State University
Air Force
Bobcat Women’s Tennis Team Drops Season Opener
2/4/2011 8:45:39 PM | Women's Tennis
The Air Force Academy withstood a late Montana State rally to post a 5-2 win over MSU, Friday night in the Bobcat-Anderson Tennis Center.
The Air Force Academy withstood a late Montana State rally to post a 5-2 win over MSU, Friday night in the Bobcat-Anderson Tennis Center.
The Falcons jumped out to an early 1-0 lead after sweeping all three doubles matches, including a hard-fought 8-7 decision at No. 1 where Tahlia Smoke and Melissa Cecil outlasted MSU's Charlotta Hjalmarsson and Paulina Lopez, 8-7, in a tiebreaker.
AFA pushed its advantage to 3-0 with victories at Nos. 2 and 4 singles.
Lopez, a freshman playing in her first match, rebounded from a 6-3 first set loss at No. 3 singles, to capture the final two sets 6-4, 6-0 to give the Bobcats its first point.
The match was decided at No. 1 singles where Christen Monreal held off Hjalmarsson 7-5, 6-7(4), 6-4. Hjalmarsson, a sophomore from Karlskrona, Sweden, held a 4-3 advantage in the third set, before Monreal responded with three consecutive games.
“I'm really proud of the way we competed,” said MSU head coach Denise Albrecht. “In fact it was even better than expected. Air Force crushed us last year, and this match showed that we are capable of achieving.”
The two teams split points at Nos. 5 and 6- both going to a third set tiebreaker. MSU's second point of the match came at No. 6 where Jennifer Coll won a 6-2, 4-6, 10-8 decision over AFA's Megumi Voight.
Montana State will play Gonzaga on Saturday at 2 p.m. in the BATC.
Air Force 5, Montana State 2
Singles: 1. Christen Monreal (AFA) d. Charlotta Hjalmarsson (MSU), 7-5, 6-7(4), 6-4; 2. Melissa Cecil (AFA) d. Wena Tsan (MSU), 7-6(4), 6-4; 3. Paulina Lopez (MSU) d. Tahlia Smoke (AFA) 3-6, 6-4, 6-0; 4. Sarah Cassman (AFA) d. Andrea De La Torre (MSU), 6-3, 6-1; 5. Tasha Hueffner (AFA) d. Ellie Crum (MSU), 6-2, 4-6, 10-3; 6. Jennifer Coll (MSU) d. Megumi Voight (AFA), 6-2, 4-6, 10-8. Doubles: 1. Smoke/Cecil (AFA) d. Hjalmarsson/Lopez (MSU), 8-7(5); 2. Monreal/Hueffner (AFA) d. De La Torre/Coll (MSU), 8-4; 3. Cassman/Hannah Dake (AFA) d. Tsan/Crum (MSU), 8-2.
