MACIAS BATTLES IN THREE-SETTER TO CLINCH WIN OVER LANDER
Hartsville, SC - You couldn't write it much better than the way it happened. After getting swept on the doubles courts, it all came down to court four, and boy did it deliver. The Cobras pulled out a nail-biting 4-3 victory in their home opener this afternoon over the Lander Bearcats!
By The Numbers:
Final Score: Coker 4, Lander 3
Records: Coker 1-0 (0-0 SAC), Lander (0-1, 0-0 PBC)
Location: Hartsville, SC | Coker Tennis Courts
Top Performers
Jade Bellegy: 6-3, 6-1 win at 1st Singles
Ilona Hernandez-Sanchez: 6-1, 6-4 win at 2nd Singles
Tamara Macias: 1-6, 6-2, 6-1 win at 4th Singles
Caroline Myers: 6-2, 7-5 win at 5th Singles
How It Happened:
It started with an overpowering doubles side from Lander, taking all three courts to put the Cobras down 1-0 heading into singles play. Bellegy and Emerson Banning had a tough match at the one spot but ultimately fell in a tiebreak to usher us into singles play.
A win at third singles for Lander coupled with two Cobra victories at the one and two spots made this even at a 2-2 team score. With the fall of the sixth singles spot for the Cobras, they found themselves in a predicament down 3-2. However, Myers took care of business on court five to even it up at 3-3, and it all seemed to come down to Macias on court four.
After dropping a 1-6 opening set, things were far from guaranteed on her court. She could've easily folded in this one, but she dug her feet in and decided to stay in the fight. She then proceeded to take the second and third set with 6-2 and 6-1 scorelines, respectively, to walk off in style here in Hartsville.
Notables
Hernandez-Sanchez made her first appearance in dual matchplay for the Cobras today and did so at the second singles slot. Putting a freshman in that slot means that Coach Tom Simpson had lots of faith in his player, and she came through with a straight-sets victory to begin her career.
Up Next
The Cobras will have the week to recollect before heading to North Greenville next Saturday (February 8th), with first serve coming at 1:00 PM ET.