TicketsMarch 22, 2015
CINCINNATI - The University of Cincinnati women's tennis team used a resilient effort throughout the match to edge Marquette 4-3. The Bearcats picked up their first win against the Golden Eagles since dropping their four previous matchups.
Cincinnati 4, Marquette 3
March 22, 2015 - Western Tennis & Fitness Center
Singles Order of Finish | 6, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5
Doubles Order of Finish | 3, 1, 2
// DOUBLES
No. 1 | Lauren Bellinger/ Kelly Poggensee-Wei (UC) def. Ana Pimienta/Erin Gebes (MU), 6-3
No. 2 | Katya Bure/Natalia Abdalla (UC) def. Ali Dawson /Aleeza Kanner (MU), 6-4
No. 3 | Paula Sanchez/Diana Tokar (MU) vs. Samantha Perry/Hannah Wille (UC), 6-1
With Marquette winning the first doubles match on court three, the Bearcats needed to take the other two courts in order to get the doubles point and did just that. The duo of Lauren Bellinger (Dublin, Ohio/Dublin Jerome) and Kelly Poggensee-Wei (Lake Villa, Ill./Grayslake North) began their doubles match behind at 2-0 but were able to win the next four games to take an 4-2 advantage. After the Golden Eagles took the next games the Bearcats took the next two games to win 6-3.
Katya Bure (Springfield, N.J./Jonathan Dayton) and Natalia Abdalla (Sao Paulo, Brazil/Colegio Augusto Laranja) surged in the opening part of the match, winning the first four of five games. Their opponent would comeback, winning the next two games to make is 4-3 Cincinnati. But both teams would take turn in each of the next three games and Bure and Abdalla would come out on top 6-4 and get the decisive second doubles win to give the Bearcats a 1-0 lead in the match.
// SINGLES
No. 1 | Kelly Poggensee-Wei (UC) def. Ana Pimienta (MU), 7-5, 6-3
No. 2 | Erin Gebes (MU) def. Katya Bure (UC), 6-2, 7-6 (4)
No. 3 | Lauren Bellinger (UC) def. Diana Tokar (TU), 6-4, 3-6, 6-2
No. 4 | Hannah Wille (UC) def. Ali Dawson (MU), 6-4, 4-6, 7-6 (6)
No. 5 | Paula Sanchez (UC) def. Natalia Abdalla (UC), 7-6 (7) 0-6, 7-6 (2)
No. 6 | Vanessa Foltinger (MU) def. Samantha Perry (UC), 6-0, 6-2
Poggensee-Wei began her singles match with a 2-1 lead in the first set but Pimienta of Marquette would come back to take the lead at 4-3. The Lake Villa, Ill. native wasn't hesitant in her approach and had regained the lead to win the first set, 7-5. Poggensee-Wei would carry the momentum into the second set, starting off similarly as the first set leading 2-1 and allowing the opponent to take a 3-2 lead. Once again, the junior wasn't fazed and won the next four games and earned the singles match in straight sets. With the win, she is the first among her teammates to get to 10 singles win on the year.
Bellinger opened up the flood gates early on her opponent, leading 4-1 in the first set. But her adversary was able to fight back tying the first set at 4 apiece. The sophomore would hold on and take the next two games to win the first set 6-4. During the second set, Tokar of Marquette had controlled most of the set and won 6-3. Bellinger would bounce back in the tiebreaker set winning five of the first six games, and cruising to a 6-2 win to give Cincinnati their third point of the match.
Wille started off slow in her first set, behind 3-1, but the St. Louis native was able to manage a comeback and win the first set 6-4. During the second set Wille didn't have a lead and would lose 6-4. In third set the junior started off slow down 4-1 in the determining tie breaker set, but used a heroic effort to knot the match at four all. From there on both players would go back and forth in each game to be tied once again at six apiece. Wille was able to squeak by in third set coming up victorious 7-6 (8-6) and gave the Bearcats the winning fourth point to take the match against the Golden Eagles.
// UP NEXT
Cincinnati will try to carry their momentum when they go up against regional foe Dayton on Saturday, March 28 at 1 p.m.