Women's Tennis Falls 5-2 at UMBC

Sunday, February 9

Baltimore, Md.

10:00 AM

James Madison University

UMBC

2/10/2014 1:05:00 AM | Women's Tennis

BALTIMORE, Md., Feb. 9, 2014 – James Madison women's tennis fell 5-2 at UMBC on Sunday morning after the Retrievers jumped out to a 4-0 lead over the Dukes. JMU is now 1-2 on the season while UMBC improved to 2-3, snapping a three-match losing streak.

After the Dukes picked up a quick win at the No. 1 doubles position from junior Taylor Pinchoff (Sylvan Lake, Mich./West Bloomfield) and freshman Alex Huie (The Woodlands, Texas/The Woodlands), the Retrievers won the next two doubles matches to take the opening point. UMBC won the first three singles matches to conclude, picking up points from the first-third positions to secure a 4-0 lead and the win.

Pinchoff and Huie defeated UMBC's Olga Baikulova and Isabel Aldunate 6-3 in the leadoff doubles slot. In singles play, freshman Rachel Nelson (Big Prairie, Ohio/West Holmes) and senior Ruxandra Andriescu (Brampton, Ontario, Canada/Turner Fenton) each posted points for the Dukes.

Nelson sailed out to a 6-4, 6-2 victory over Isabel Aldunate at the No. 4 singles position, marking her third straight singles victory in dual competition.

Andriescu ran out to a 1-0 lead over Madlena Kurasz at the No. 5 singles position with a 6-4 win in the first set. Kurasz, however, took a tough second set 7-5 to even the singles match at 1-all. Andriescu secured the point for the Dukes after dispatching Kurasz 10-4 in the decisive third set.

In doubles play, redshirt junior Sarah Khan (Islamabad, Pakistan/Overseas Pakistani Foundation College (New Mexico)) and sophomore Cara Wirth (Reading, Pa./Wilson) were unable to overcome Mariami Dolashvili and Josefin Stange-Jonsson at the No. 2 position as the duo fell 6-4. Andriescu and fellow senior Jacqueline Palmucci (Aurora, Colo./Cherokee Trail) battled to a 7-6(6) loss to UMBC's Kim Berghaus and Kurasz at the No. 3 doubles position.

Palmucci saw her singles match go the distance as well, coming back from a one-set deficit (6-4) to Stange-Jonsson at the No. 6 position to knot the match at 1-1 after a 6-0 win in set two. After a fierce competition in set three, Stange-Jonsson claimed the 13-11 set win and tallied a fifth point for the Retrievers.

The initial singles point for UMBC went to Baikulova after she won in two sets (6-3, 6-4) over Pinchoff at the No. 1 singles position.

Huie and fellow freshman Emily Bradshaw (Mississauga, Ontario, Canada/Blyth Academy) each saw their singles matches go a full three sets. After jumping out to a one-set lead at the No. 2 singles position, Huie dropped her next two sets (7-6(5), 10-4) to Berghaus, who claimed the third UMBC point of the day. Dolashvili tallied the decisive fourth point for the Retrievers with a three-set win (6-4, 4-6, 10-4) over Bradshaw.

JMU heads to Fairfax, Va., on Saturday, Feb. 15 as the Dukes face former Colonial Athletic Association rival George Mason in a 5 p.m. match.