JMU Falls 4-3 in Tight Contest against Ball State

Friday, March 11

Orlando, Fla.

2 p.m.

James Madison University

Ball State

3/11/2016 9:53:00 PM | Women's Tennis

ORLANDO, Fla. – James Madison women's tennis saw its four-match win streak snapped as Ball State defeated the Dukes (8-4, 1-0 CAA) 4-3 on their final day in Orlando.

The Cardinals (12-2) came from behind to win the doubles point for an early 1-0 advantage. They jumped out to a 3-0 lead with back-to-back wins at No. 2 and No. 1 singles. Junior Rebecca Harris got JMU on the board with a three-set victory (6-3, 4-6, 6-4) at No. 5 singles over Julia Sbircea, but a pair of tiebreaker losses for JMU at No. 4 singles pushed Ball State to the match-clinching fourth point and its ninth straight team win.

Harris, now 8-1 in spring singles duals, made it a 2-0 day for herself with the lone JMU doubles victory. She partnered with freshman Abby Amos to blank Sbircea and Toni Ormond 6-0 at the No. 1 position in the day's opening match.

Sophomores Kimmy Herrock and Dylan Owens accounted for the Dukes other two points on Friday. Herrock went a full three-sets (6-2, 3-6, 7-6(5)) against Audrey Berger at No. 3 singles while Owens battled through two sets decided in a tiebreaker (7-6(3), 7-6(6)) to stretch her win streak to 10 completed duals.

JMU next hits the court on March 19 at Colonial Athletic Association foe College of Charleston. The Dukes and Cougars compete at 10 a.m. next Saturday in Charleston, S.C.

QUOTING HEAD COACH JAMES BRYCE
"Today was a tough learning experience; however, everyone fought really hard from top to bottom. We came up just short in some close matches, but we never gave up. We have yet to come from behind and win after losing the doubles point, but this young team will bounce back strong. I am looking forward to starting up conference play again next week knowing we are prepared and fit."

FULL RESULTS
Doubles (1, 2, 3*)

Abby Amos/Harris def. Ormond/Sbircea 6-0
Berger/Golhoffer def. Guibe/Nelson 6-3
Blanco/Bethany Moore def. Petersen/Bella Heidenreich 7-6(3)

Singles (2, 1, 5, 4*, 3, 6)

Peyton Golhoffer def. Timea Guibe 6-3, 7-5
Carmen Blanco def. Rachel Nelson 6-2, 6-1
Kimmy Herrock def. Audrey Berger 6-2, 3-6, 7-6(5)
Toni Ormond def. Emma Petersen 7-6(1), 7-6(5)
Rebecca Harris def. Julia Sbircea 6-3, 4-6, 6-4
Dylan Owens def. Isabelle Dohanics 7-6(3), 7-6(6)

UP NEXT
The Dukes return to CAA action next weekend as they make their swing to the league's southern-most schools. JMU faces College of Charleston at 10 a.m. on Saturday, March 19 in Charleston, S.C., before heading up I-95 to battle UNCW on Sunday, March 20 in Wilmington, N.C., at 2:30 p.m.