The Crimson Tide women’s tennis team beat ITA ranked No. 15 Arkansas on Friday April 1, 4-3 and earned their fourth consecutive SEC win on Sunday with a blowout victory over No. 53 LSU, 7-0.
In Friday’s doubles play, No. 35 Alabama brought the heat on the court with a pace setting win between Tide duo Alexa Guarachi and Courtney McLane and Claudine Paulson and Anouk Tigu, 8-2.
Next, Antonia Foehse and Mary Anne Macfarlane topped Razorbacks Jade Frampton and Valentina Starkova 8-4, earning Alabama the doubles point.
Alex Clay and Taylor Lindsay soon fell to Kate Lukomskaya and Stephanie Roy, 8-6, halting the possibility of another Tide doubles sweep.
Singles started off on the right foot as well with McLane’s early win over Razorback, Kate Lukomskaya 6-4, 6-1. However, from then on the match swayed back and forth between the teams.
Guarachi got the first loss to Arkansas’ Roy 6-2, 6-3, while Clay gained back control over the team score by beating her Razorback opponent 7-5, 6-2. Meritt Emery fought hard in the first half of her match only to be bested by a point, but lost her steam in the second set 7-6, 6-2.
Foehse gained another win for Alabama 4-6, 6-2, 6-3 and Macfarlane wrapped up the match with a loss to Tigu 4-6, 6-2, 6-4.
“It was a good game both ways,” head coach Jenny Mainz said. “Arkansas is a good solid team. They’ve taken out some pretty strong competition this season, and they came into singles ready to play. I feel like that was their strength. They came after the singles point hungry after we took doubles.”
Sunday’s doubles point also went to the Tide with a full sweep over LSU. Guarachi and McLane faced off against Whitney Wolf and Olivia Howlett for the first win 8-2, while Macfarlane and Foehse shut out Kaitlin Burns and Ariel Morton 8-0. Securing the third win and the point were Clay and Lindsay 8-3.
In singles play, Macfarlane brought in the first victory against Wolf, 6-3, 6-2. Shortly after Foehse took down Keri Frankenberger 6-2, 6-4 and Lindsey bested Yvette Vlaar 6-4, 6-2. Clay topped Ebie Wilson 6-1, 6-3.
Other big wins included, Guarachi taking Howlett 5-7, 6-2, 6-1 and McLane besting Burns in a hard fought triple 6-7, 6-0, 6-5. McLane’s match knocked LSU away from earning a single team point and ended the meet 6-0, Alabama.
Earlier in the season, Mainz set a goal for her team to work its way into the nation’s top 30. With substantial league wins like these, Alabama seems destined for success. Adjusted ranks are set to come out on Apr. 5.
“We’re doing all of the right things to move us in the right direction,” said Mainz. “They’re working hard to earn these wins and have been throughout the season. I’ve always felt that we can get there, we just have to believe.”
Alabama now stands at 10-5, 4-3 SEC and hits the road this week to face No. 27 Mississippi in Oxford, Miss. on Friday at 3 p.m. CT.
