University of St. Thomas Athletics
Oral Roberts
Tommies drop close battle against Oral Roberts
3/23/2024 3:21:00 PM | Women's Tennis
St. Thomas wins two of three doubles matches to claim doubles point
ST. PAUL, MINN. – The University of St. Thomas women's tennis team once again found itself in a tightly contested battle in Summit League play. The Tommies hosted Oral Roberts University in their second to last home match of the 2023-24 regular season. In a thrilling dual between conference opponents, St. Thomas was unable to hold its early lead after doubles play, falling to the Golden Eagles by a final score of 4-3.
RECAP
The Tommies claimed the point in doubles, winning two of three matches to take an early 1-0 lead in the dual. St. Thomas No. 1 team of Olivia Paradise (Mahtomedi, Minn. / Mahtomedi) and Yinong Ma (Shenzhen, China / RGS Guildford Nanjing) used a late break to earn a 6-4 victory over Oral Roberts' Chara Grammatikaki and Arina Sorokina, while No. 3 team of Jannah ElNemr (6th of October City, Egypt / The British School of Egypt) and Caroline Lindahl (Hørsholm, Denmark / Ordrup Gymnasium) also used a late break to defeat their opponent by a final score of 7-5.
With the doubles point secured, Marthe Degeorges (Viviers du lac, France) and Regina Talavera (Toluca, Mexico / Heritage Academy) looked to make it a clean sweep with a win as the No. 2 doubles team for St. Thomas. The duo came up short against Reagan Miley and Sasha Lebedeva, falling by a final score of 6-2.
The Tommies looked to secure the Summit League victory in singles play, needing to win just three of six matches to earn the win. Lindahl and Ma were both successful, winning their matches as the No. 3 and 6 singles players for St. Thomas. In the No. 3 match, Lindahl won the opening set 6-3, but her opponent, Grammatikaki, flipped the script and forced the third set tiebreaker with a 6-1 win in the second set. It was no harm, no foul for the first year from Denmark, as Lindahl used two breaks in the final set to claim the match by a score of 6-3, 1-6, 6-2.
Ma was the lone Tommie to earn a clean sweep, as she defeated Zere Iskakova in straight sets, 6-4, 6-3. However, St. Thomas was unable to come up with another victory in singles play, as Oral Roberts claimed the dual by winning the No. 1, 2, 4 and 6 singles matches. In the No. 1 match, ElNemr nearly mounted a dramatic comeback, rallying to win the second set 6-4 after dropping the first 6-1. The senior was unable to win the third set tiebreaker, as the Golden Eagles' Lebedva claimed the match by final score of 6-1, 4-6, 6-1.
Talavera also partook in a three-set marathon at No. 6 singles. Like ElNemr, she rallied in the second, winning on a late break to force the third set tiebreaker. Like her teammate, though, she was unable to come up with a victory, falling 6-3, 4-6, 6-3. Degeorges dropped her match at No. 2 singles 6-1, 6-2.
UP NEXT
St. Thomas will enjoy blue skies and sunshine for its next handful of matches, as the team travels throughout the southern United States for its annual spring break trip. The Tommies will open the trip with a match at Southern University on March 26, 2024. The match is set to start at 2:00 p.m. in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.
Team Stats
#1 Doubles Match
#2 Doubles Match
#3 Doubles Match
#1 Singles Match
#2 Singles Match
#3 Singles Match
#4 Singles Match
#5 Singles Match
#6 Singles Match
Players Mentioned
