Mountaineers’ undefeated streak snaps in two-match weekend

West Virginia came one team point shy of a 6-0 record Saturday in a bittersweet weekend of women’s tennis competition.

The Mountaineers hosted two home matches this weekend after last weekend’s successful road trip. WVU welcomed and defeated Indiana on Friday before falling to VCU the following day.

The 4-3 loss to the Rams was WVU’s first of the season. The Mountaineers lost the doubles point for the second time this season and were unable to avoid a 3-3 split in singles matches, causing the narrow outcome.

Seeing great success this weekend was graduate student Love-Star Alexis, who transferred from Middle Tennessee State for the fall semester. Alexis won both singles matches this weekend as WVU’s No. 2 seed, defeating Indiana’s Saby Nihalani 6-3, 7-5 and VCU’s Tania Isabel Andrade Sabando 6-1, 4-6, 6-1.

Though Alexis was the only Mountaineer to win both days in singles, a West Virginia doubles team managed a similar feat. Redshirt sophomore Maja Dodik and freshman Maya Bordereau won 6-4 against Indiana and earned WVU’s only doubles win against VCU, 6-3.

Bordereau and Dodik have yet to lose in doubles this season, winning five matches and leaving one unfinished against Virginia Tech. Individually, each player finished 1-1 this weekend, with Dodik earning a win against Indiana and Bordereau defeating VCU’s Anja Draskovic.

Senior Momoko Nagato and junior Tatiana Lipatova each played against one team but not the other. Each player contributed to team success, with Nagato winning against Indiana and Lipatova earning a crucial singles point against VCU.

In just three appearances this season, all as the No. 6 seed, Lipatova is undefeated in singles. Nagato played in every match before VCU and lost only once each in singles and doubles to Virginia Tech opponents.

Junior Camilla Bossi split her pair of singles matches from the top position. She won 4-6, 7-6 (4), 6-2 over Indiana’s Lara Schneider but fell 6-4, 3-6, 6-3 to VCU’s Yelizaveta Karlova. The results leave Bossi 2-2 in singles for the year.

Bossi fell in doubles against both teams, 7-6 (5) with junior Michaela Kucharova, who typically partners with Nagato, and 6-4 with graduate student Ting-Pei Chang.

Chang struggled this weekend, extending her losing streak to three matches each in both singles and doubles. After losing alongside Bossi against Indiana, Chang teamed up with Love-Star Alexis at the top position but fell 6-0 against VCU.

In singles, Chang fell 6-2, 6-1 to Indiana’s Elisabeth Dunac as the No. 5 seed before switching to the fourth position against VCU. Chang extended the match to three sets but fell 6-1, 5-7, 7-5.

Despite the team loss, the Mountaineers have little to worry about thus far in their 5-1 season. Regardless, coaches Miha Lisac and Calvin Song may have adjustments to make in positioning ahead of next weekend.

The Mountaineers take on Cleveland State and Radford in a Saturday double-header at home. The day begins at 10 a.m. at Summit Tennis Academy in Morgantown.

Scores vs. Indiana (Feb. 2)

Doubles Results

• Momoko Nagato/Michaela Kucharova (WVU) def. Lara Schneider/Lene Mari Hovda (IU), 6-2
• Saby Nihalani/Li Hsin Lin (IU) def. Ting-Pei Chang/Camilla Bossi (WVU), 6-4
• Maya Bordereau/Maja Dodik (WVU) def. Nicole Teodosescu/Sarah L’allier (IU), 6-4

Singles Results

• Camilla Bossi (WVU) def. Lara Schneider (IU), 4-6, 7-6 (4), 6-2
• Love-Star Alexis (WVU) def. Saby Nihalani (IU), 6-3, 7-5
• Nicole Teodosescu (IU) def. Maya Bordereau (WVU), 6-4, 5-7, 6-2
• Momoko Nagato (WVU) def. Lene Mari Hovda (IU), 6-4, 2-6, 6-3
• Elisabeth Dunac (IU) def. Ting-Pei Chang (WVU), 6-2, 6-1
• Maja Dodik (WVU) def. Magdalena Swierczynska (IU), 6-3, 6-3

Scores vs. VCU (Feb. 3)

Doubles Results

• Yelizaveta Karlova/Emma Valletta (VCU) def. Love-Star Alexis/Ting-Pei Chang (WVU), 6-0
• Emma Rizzetto/Tiziana Rossini (VCU) def. Camilla Bossi/Michaela Kucharova (WVU), 7-6 (5)
• Maya Bordereau/Maja Dodik (WVU) def. Mariam Ibrahim/Anja Draskovic (VCU), 6-3

Singles Results

• Yelizaveta Karlova (VCU) def. Camilla Bossi (WVU), 6-4, 3-6, 6-3
• Love-Star Alexis (WVU) def. Tania Isabel Andrade Sabando (VCU), 6-1, 4-6, 6-1
• Maya Bordereau (WVU) def. Anja Draskovic (VCU), 6-2, 6-2
• Emma Valletta (VCU) def. Ting-Pei Chang (WVU), 6-1, 5-7, 7-5
• Emma Rizzetto (VCU) def. Maja Dodik (WVU), 6-3, 6-4
• Tatiana Lipatova (WVU) def. Tiziana Rossini (VCU), 6-4, 4-6, 1-0 (3)

Photo from WVU Women’s Tennis