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Sunday, February 17
Memphis, Tenn.
10 a.m.

University of Memphis

6
vs
1

Minnesota

Cao, Davies
Photo by: Matthew Smith

Women’s Tennis Upends Minnesota, 6-1

Feb 17, 2019 | Women's Tennis

MEMPHIS, Tenn. – Less than two full days after a tough 4-3 loss to Missouri, the University of Memphis women's tennis team (3-5) got its second consecutive win over Minnesota (5-3) with a 6-1 victory at The Racquet Club of Memphis, Sunday. Memphis defeated Minnesota 4-3 last year in a neutral site match at Missouri.
 
"We talked about the short turnaround," Head Coach Hayden Perez said. "We expected another 4-3 match, frankly. Another equally tough opponent and Sunday was going to come quick, but our mental fortitude helped us through it. I think the players' approach was solid. We found ourselves down in all three doubles, so for them to stick with it just proves how mentally-tough we are."
 
Memphis found itself down early in the doubles point, trailing at two and three while holding onto a one game lead at one. Down 5-2 at three doubles, the tandem of Laura Bente and Lina Hohnhold won five straight games, using a 7-5 win at three to even the battle for the doubles point at 1-1. 
 
"For them to come back, when you're down 5-2 in a race to six, it's really tough," Perez said. "I'm really proud of them for winning five straight games and closing it out."
 
That left the Memphis pairing of Alisha Reayer and Aleks Topalovic fighting at one for the match lead. The duo had a chance at 6-5, but the Minnesota team of Cammy Frei and Caitlyn Merzbacher fought back to force a tiebreaker. 
 
In the tiebreak, the Golden Gophers jumped 4-2, before a pair of Tiger points evened it at 4-all. Minnesota again took a lead at 5-4, but Memphis battled back for 5-all and took a 6-5 lead with a chance to win out. But Minnesota hit a winner for 6-all to tie it back up for the fifth time in the tiebreak. But with Memphis up 7-6, Reayer ripped a crosscourt forehand winner to grab the 8-6 tiebreak win and an early 1-0 Memphis lead in the match. 
 
"We've shown after losing the doubles point in matches earlier this season that we're tough enough to go out and battle in singles, but when you get it (the doubles point), there's always a chance you can take a deep breath and kind of relax a little bit too much," Perez stated. "So after winning the doubles point today, our focus was on not relaxing and bringing it to them in singles as if we had lost the doubles point."
 
Memphis jumped up sets at one, two, five and six, getting into position for the win. But Minnesota battled back with a 6-4, 6-2 win at two singles to even the match, 1-1.
 
But on the adjacent court, Bente kept on the gas after a 6-4 first set win, closing out the second set 6-1 to give Memphis a 2-1 lead while on court six, Katherine Cao was mounting a comeback. After a 6-2 first set win, Cao found herself down in the second set 4-2. She fought back and grabbed a 6-4 decision in the second set for a 3-1 Memphis lead. 
 
Back on court one, Reayer was in position to pick up a straight set win, but  an over-ruled line call gave Minnesota enough momentum for a 6-4 second set win after Reayer claimed the first set, 6-3. That moved the crowd's search for the deciding team point to courts four and five. 
 
On court four, Hannah Davies was one of two Tigers who dropped her opening set. She stormed back with a 6-3 second set win and secured the team victory with a 6-4 third set win. 
 
Hohnhold split her first two sets at five and grabbed a 6-3 win in the third for a 5-1 score. Back in the main arena, Reayer also closed out her third set, 6-2, for the final 6-1 decision. 
 
Memphis remains home for two matches next weekend, hosting conference foe UConn, Friday, at 11 am. The team will then host Lipscomb, Sunday, at 10 am. Memphis will then embark on a six-match road trip before hosting AAC foe Cincinnati on March 29. Admission to the match at The Racquet Club of Memphis is free.