Ole Miss Tennis Narrowly Defeated by South Carolina, 4-3
COLUMBIA, S.C. – The No. 32 Ole Miss women’s tennis team suffered a close 4-3 defeat against No. 17 South Carolina on Saturday afternoon at the Carolina Tennis Center, despite a spirited comeback attempt. The decisive point came down to a hard-fought match on court four.
After falling behind 3-1, the Rebels battled back to tie the score at 3-3, leaving all eyes on the match between Ole Miss’s Andrea Nova and South Carolina’s Taylor Goetz. The two players engaged in a marathon contest, winning a set each by a score of 7-5.
In the third set, Nova initially took a 4-3 lead. However, Goetz responded strongly, winning four of the next five games to secure the final set 7-5 and clinch the victory for South Carolina.
Ole Miss (6-3, 1-2 SEC) started the match strong by winning the doubles point to take a 1-0 lead.
Doubles Results
- Helena Buchwald/Lauren Friedman (SC) def. Emily Welker/Andrea Nova (OM) 6-1
- Alice Soulie/Riley Crowder (OM) def. Jane Dunyon/Kaitlyn Carnicella (SC) 6-4
- Brooklyn Olson/Beatrice Stagno (OM) def. Sara Borkop/Jana Stojanova (SC) 7-5
The momentum shifted in singles play when Owen Wilkinson was forced to retire from her match against Jana Stojanova, giving South Carolina a point and tying the score at 1-1. The Gamecocks then won two more singles matches to take a 3-1 lead.
Singles Results
- Kaitlyn Carnicella (SC) def. Emily Welker (OM) 6-2, 6-2
- Helena Buchwald (SC) def. Alice Soulie (OM) 6-0, 7-6 (0-4)
- Brooklyn Olson (OM) def. Sara Borkop (SC) 7-6 (7-5), 6-2
- Taylor Goetz (SC) def. Andrea Nova (OM) 7-5, 5-7, 7-5
- Riley Crowder (OM) def. Jane Dunyon (SC) 5-7, 7-5, 7-6 (7-3)
- Jana Stojanova (SC) def. Owen Wilkinson (OM) 6-1, retired
Ole Miss refused to concede, with Brooklyn Olson defeating Sara Borkop 7-6 (7-5), 6-2. Freshman Riley Crowder also contributed to the comeback, winning a third-set tiebreaker 7-6 (7-3) against Jane Dunyon to tie the match at 3-3.
Ole Miss will return home to face No. 13 Auburn at the Palmer Salloum Outdoor Tennis Center on Thursday, March 5, at 4 p.m. Andrea Nova is a junior from Prague, Czech Republic, majoring in General Business.