Women’s tennis extends winning streak with 5-2 verdict over Liberty

The Winthrop Lady Eagles’ tennis team won their fourth consecutive match Friday afternoon with a 5-2 triumph over Liberty at the Winthrop Memorial Tennis Courts.

The Lady Eagles fell behind early losing the doubles competition. No. 1 duo of Alice Garcia and Mariana Humberg lost 8-6 to Maria Khval and Brittany Yang. No. 2 combo Tijana Uzelac and Ekin Gunaysu won 8-4 over Evangeline Crist and Valerie Thong. Liberty seized the doubles point with No. 3 Emily Groeneveld and Belen Rivera’s 8-2 victory over Monica Aguado and Camille Amrani.

Winthrop responded winning the first five singles positions. No. 1 Garcia topped Rivera 5-7, 6-1, 1-0 (3). No. 2 Gunaysu defeated Khval 7-6, 6-0. No. 3 Humberg downed Crist 6-1, 6-3. At the No. 4 position Uzelac bested Nicola Wellman 7-5, 6-0. No. 5 Aguado edged Yang 6-2, 7-5. No. 6 Amrani fell to Groeneveld 6-4, 6-1.

Winthrop, 10-10, will look to make it five straight victories when they face Coastal Carolina on Saturday.

Eagles open Big South play Saturday: Coming off its most successful non-conference season in the program’s three-year history, the Winthrop lacrosse team opens conference play Saturday afternoon at Presbyterian in search of the team’s first-ever Big South title.

The Eagles are currently 8-2 on the season following a 17-5 victory over Cincinnati last Friday.

Winthrop continues to be the top offensive team in the Big South and is ranked in the top-10 in the NCAA. The Eagles are averaging 15.4 goals per game which leads the Big South and is third in the country. They are outscoring their opponents by an average of 6.5 goals per game, eighth in Division I.

In its three years as a Division I program, Winthrop has consistently ranked in the top tier of Division I in draw controls and continues that this year. It’s 14.7 draws per game average leads the Big South and is sixth in the country.

Senior attacker Jenna Kasmarik has scored 40 goals this season, an average of 4.44 per contest which ranks her first in the Big South and first in Division I for goals per game. Junior Shannon Gallagher is second on the team with 21 goals this season and leads the team in assists with 12.

In goal for the Eagles, freshman Alaina Girani had a strong non-conference slate, allowing an average of 8.7 goals per game which ranks her second in the conference and 27th in the NCAA. She is averaging seven saves per game.

Presbyterian enters Saturday’s contest with a 3-6 record and is looking for its fourth win in five contests. The Blue Hose are coming off a 19-12 victory over Delaware State last Saturday.

The Eagles and Blue Hose have met twice before with Winthrop coming away with the victory both times. Winthrop downed Presbyterian 23-7 in 2014 and 21-12 in 2013.

Winthrop will return home for its home conference opener on Monday against conference newcomer Gardner-Webb. The Eagles and Bulldogs will square off in a 6 p.m. contest.

Five female student-athletes were among the 16 women from the Winthrop community who were nominated for the Woman of Distinction Award that was presented this week during the 6th Annual Women of Excellence Awards program.

The five athletes include: Taylor Calvert (Sr., women’s basketball, business administration major, Shertz, Texas), Victoria Davis (Sr., soccer, business administration major, Madison, Ala.); Jennifer Dilger (Sr., golf, exercise science major, Palmdale, Calif.), Grace Radler (Sr., soccer, business administration major, Marietta, Ga.), Rachel Wyatt (Sr., golf, sport management major, Blythewood, S.C.).

Calvert was lauded for her demonstration of character and loyalty to her fellow teammates both on and off the court. Davis was cited for being involved in multiple organizations and one who gives her free time willingly. Dilger was recognized as one who has been a role model as a student-athlete, and for her academic achievements through the Athletic Department. Radler was singled out for her leadership and service throughout her four-year career, Wyatt was cited for putting her heart and soul into everything that she does and always giving 100 percent.

Winthrop 1-7, Charleston Southern 6-5: Winthrop softball earned a doubleheader split at Charleston Southern by taking the nightcap 7-5 after falling in the first game 6-1, Friday afternoon.

The Eagles used power and patience to earn the win in game two as they are now 15-20 on the year and 4-6 in the Big South while Charleston Southern is 25-16 and 7-4 in the league. The rubber match is schedule for Saturday at 1 p.m.

“We were able to hold on for a win in the second game,” said Winthrop head coach Mark Cooke. “It’s always good to get a conference win on the road. Charleston Southern, they can hit it. We competed today and didn’t give up.”

Homeruns by senior Kelsey Ritter and redshirt sophomore Leah Young bookended the victory while Ritter also drove in a run by drawing a bases loaded walk. Then Young was hit on a 3-2 count with the bases loaded to give the Eagles a 3-0 lead. Haley Zuehlke made it 5-0 in favor of Winthrop when she followed Young with a two-run single to center.

This story was originally published April 3, 2015 at 1:20 PM with the headline "Women’s tennis extends winning streak with 5-2 verdict over Liberty."