HARRISONBURG, Va. – Erica Braschi clinched the match at No. 2 singles and the Elon University women’s tennis team earned its fourth straight victory defeating James Madison 4-3 on Saturday, April 2, at Hillside Courts.
The Phoenix (9-9) came back to take a 3-2 lead after dropping the doubles point. After the Dukes (13-5) tied up the match at 3-3, Braschi clinched the deciding third set in her singles match, helping Elon end JMU’s five-match winning streak.
HIGHLIGHTS
The Dukes claimed the doubles point, taking two of the three courts. Timea Guibe and Kimmy Herrock took court two 6-4 and Natalia Janowicz and Kirsten Ward won court one to tie up the doubles point at 1-1. Emma Petersen and Bella Heidenreich clinched the doubles point with a 7-5 win at the No. 3 position.
In singles play, Olivia Lucas and Janowicz got the Phoenix on the board and in the lead with wins at the No. 1 and No. 3 positions. Lucas earned a 6-2, 6-2 victory and Janowicz took the third court 6-4, 6-4. After James Madison claimed court six to tie up the score, Kirsten Ward won the fifth singles court in a second-set tiebreak 6-3, 7-6 (7-3) to give the Phoenix a 3-2 lead in the match.
Emma Petersen tied up the match at 3-3 with a 5-7, 6-1, 6-4 victory for James Madison on court four, leaving No. 2 singles as the deciding match. Although she dropped her second set, Braschi won the third set to clinch the victory for the Phoenix with a 6-2, 2-6, 6-3 win against Guibe.
NOTES
– Erica Braschi won her eighth consecutive singles match with her 6-2, 2-6, 6-3 win against Timea Guibe
– Braschi has won 10 or more singles matches in two consecutive seasons. The sophomore finished with a 13-4 record last season. She has a team-best 12-4 record this season.
– Although the Phoenix faced off against fellow CAA member James Madison, the Colonial Athletic Association does not have a conference season, thus the match does not count against a conference record. The match goes down as a non-conference match.
UP NEXT
Elon will face Towson tomorrow, April 3, for an 11 a.m. match in Harrisonburg on the campus of James Madison University.
Tennis Match Results
Elon vs James Madison
Apr 02, 2016 at Harrisonburg, Va.
(Hillside Courts)
Elon 4, James Madison 3
Singles competition
1. Olivia Lucas (ELON) def. Rachel Nelson (JMU) 6-2, 6-2
2. Erica Braschi (ELON) def. Timea Guibe (JMU) 6-2, 2-6, 6-3
3. Natalia Janowicz (ELON) def. Kimmy Herrock (JMU) 6-4, 6-4
4. Emma Petersen (JMU) def. Suzanne Zenoni (ELON) 5-7, 6-1, 6-4
5. Kirsten Ward (ELON) def. Dylan Owens (JMU) 6-3, 7-6 (7-3)
6. Rebecca Harris (JMU) def. Taylor Casey (ELON) 6-2, 7-6 (7-4)
Doubles competition
1. Natalia Janowicz/Kirsten Ward (ELON) def. Abby Amos/Rebecca Harris (JMU) 7-5
2. Timea Guibe/Kimmy Herrock (JMU) def. Erica Braschi/Taylor Casey (ELON) 6-4
3. Emma Petersen/Bella Heidenreich (JMU) def. Olivia Lucas/Suzanne Zenoni (ELON) 7-5
Match Notes:
Elon 9-9
James Madison 13-5
Order of finish: Doubles (2,1,3); Singles (1,3,6,5,4,2)