Women’s tennis splits final double-header of season
April 1, 2019
No. 39 Alabama women’s tennis finished 1-1 in their final doubleheader of the season with a 4-1 loss to No. 18 Tennessee and a 4-0 win against Jackson State on Sunday. The results pushed Alabama to 15-9 on the season and 3-6 in SEC play.
In the first match against Tennessee, the Volunteers quickly took the doubles point with two 6-3 wins on court No. 1 and No. 3. In singles play, Alabama could not hold off Tennessee on courts No. 4, 5 and 6, and it resulted in a 4-1 loss for the Crimson Tide.
“I was disappointed with our match against Tennessee,” head coach Jenny Mainz said. “Obviously it was a great opportunity and Tennessee competes really well. They make a lot of balls, they’re disciplined and when they get the opportunity to come up and be aggressive, they take the first opportunity and do it. I felt like Tennessee took advantage of those opportunities and put the pressure on us.”
Alabama’s only singles win came at the hands of 69th-ranked senior Andie Daniell, who defeated the 85th-ranked opponent in the country 6-2, 6-2. Daniell now has four straight SEC victories with all four finishing in straight sets, and also in that span she was up 7-6, 1-1 against the top-ranked player in the country on Friday versus Georgia.
“Andie is playing with a lot of momentum and is playing confident tennis,” Mainz said. “She is stepping in early and dictating, which is what she does best.”
Despite the loss in the afternoon, Alabama had a strong bounce back against Jackson State in the evening. With only five Jackson State players present in Tuscaloosa, Alabama was given an automatic doubles match win and also one singles point.
The Crimson Tide used the advantage in the doubles effectively with juniors Alba Cortina Pou and Luca Fabian winning 6-1 at court No. 2. Alabama’s strong play continued into singles with Cortina Pou and Kimberley Gintrand both defeating their opponents 6-0, 6-1 to clinch the 4-0 victory.
“I came to the court to take care of business,” Cortina Pou said. “I did everything I had to do and improved on what I’ve been working on.”
Next weekend, the Crimson Tide travels to #31 Florida on Friday and #4 South Carolina on Sunday.
