Missouri tennis drops nailbiter to Oklahoma State
The Tigers started the match hot, but fizzled out in the end.
Published March 16, 2009
The Missouri women's tennis team experienced both joyous hope and bitter sorrow in a matter of minutes when it dropped an extremely tight match to Oklahoma State 4-3 Friday night.
The night came down to the final match. In a battle between No. 5 singles players with the overall score knotted at 3-3, Missouri freshman Danielle Day was defeated by Oklahoma State freshman Alisa Buslaieva in three sets to end the match in favor of the Cowgirls.
Day had won the first set 6-3, but dropped the second and relinquished a lead in the third.
"We should've been able to finish and we didn't," coach Blake Starkey said.
The Tigers started the night hot, capturing their first doubles point in their last four matches. The No. 1 doubles team of sophomore Mallory Weber and freshman Jamie Mera won its match. The No. 3 doubles team of senior Sofia Ayala and Day won as well.
But the Cowgirls won the first two singles matches, with Missouri losses belonging to Weber and sophomore Kaitlyn Ritchie. They were the only singles matches that would go just two sets. Ritchie's match was particularly tough, as she was beaten 6-2 in the first set and 6-1 in the second.
Mera gave the Tigers their first singles win and tied the match at two points apiece. She topped Cowgirl senior Maryna Tkachenko in a long three-setter.
"I just took it one point at a time," said Mera, who recorded her team high 11th win of the season. "I never gave up fighting, and I tried to keep the energy high the entire time."
Oklahoma State would snatch the lead back with a grueling victory against senior Jessica Giuggioli. Giuggioli won the first set 6-4, but dropped the second 7-5 after leading 5-4. Oklahoma State sophomore JoAnne Karaitiana won the third set 6-2 to give Oklahoma State its third point of the match.
Perhaps the best play of the night by the Tigers came from Ayala. Ayala was shutout in the first set, losing 6-0 to Oklahoma State freshman Galina Semenova.
"The first set I dug myself in a hole," Ayala said. "In the second set I started putting balls on the court and being more patient."
She came back with a lot of energy and dominated the rest of the match, winning the second and third sets 6-1.
"Sofia was nervous," said Starkey, commenting on Ayala's slow start. "I think that was it. We were nervous tonight."
Ayala tied the match at 3-3 before Day's defeat.
Starkey was quick to make sure no blame was placed on Day.
"Three other points got away before hers," he said. "They got four wins. We didn't. Period."
The Tigers found themselves in few decisive matches. They played long, grinding matches all night long, but Starkey did not see that as an excuse.
"We're the grinding team," he said. "We shouldn't lose those matches on our home court."