The University of Alabama women’s tennis team came into Saturday’s match looking for a win to end an eight match losing streak, but instead of a win, the Crimson Tide now finds itself looking at a nine match losing streak.
The visiting Bulldogs cruised to a 7-0 victory on a day where nothing seemed to go right for the Crimson Tide. It all started with the doubles point, which Mississippi State captured with 6-1 victories against the pair of sophomore Aryn Greene and junior Joanna Nena Savva on court two and freshman Andie Daniell and junior Danielle Spielmann on court three to take the 1-0 lead. The pair of junior Erin Routliffe and senior Natalia Maynetto were ahead 4-1 on court one when play was suspended
In singles play, the Bulldogs took four of the six first sets, with only Daniell and Maynetto winning their first sets. The second point of the day came when the No. 44 player in the nation, Routliffe, lost to No. 13 Jasmine Lee 6-2, 6-2. Next, Spielmann fell 6-2, 6-3 to give Mississippi State the 3-0 lead. The match was clinched when Savva was defeated 6-2, 6-2.
The remaining matches would play out, but Alabama only continued to struggle. Sophomore Bennett Dunn fell short 6-3, 6-4 to push the score to 5-0. Maynetto fell in three sets after winning her first, 0-6, 6-2, 6-2. The final match to end was Daniell, and like Maynetto, she dropped her last two sets in a 1-6, 6-3, 6-0 defeat.
The Crimson Tide is now 4-12, 0-8 in the SEC with five matches left to play. Alabama will be back in action Friday, April 1 at 5 p.m. CT when the Crimson Tide travels to Auburn to play the Tigers.