UAB Women's Tennis Suffers its First Loss of the Season

STARKVILLE, Miss. - UAB' 49th-ranked women’s tennis team battled inclement weather in a 7 hr. and 10 min. match against 48th-ranked Mississippi State at the A.J Pitts Tennis Centre and McCarthy Gymnasium in Starkville, Miss. late Friday night. UAB, one of the nation’s last unbeaten teams, suffered its first loss of the season, falling 4-3 to the Bulldogs.

With the loss, UAB fell to 16-1 in dual-match play. MSU stopped a four-match skid to improve to 5-8 on the season.

MSU jumped to an early lead as they won two of three doubles matches to claim the doubles point. UAB had only lost the doubles point once prior to Friday's match, at Eastern Michigan earlier this month. Mirela Vladulescu and Monika Schmid were the only Blazers to win their doubles match, defeating Claudia Oliveira and Carole Soubis 8-4 at no.1 singles.

After a 25-minute rain delay as the match moved into McCarthy Gymnasium on the MSU campus, the Lady Blazers negated State’s early advantage as Schmid defeated Soubis 6-4, 6-4 to even the match. Schmid ran her record to 17-0 in dual-match action, 25-5 on the season.

At the No. 1 position, 30th-ranked Vladulescu outlasted Lady Bulldog Amelie Detriviere 6-7(4), 6-4, 6-4 to put the Lady Blazers ahead 2-1. Vladulescu is now 16-0 in dual matches, 26-1 overall.

The teams then split two exciting matches at No.3 and 4 to make the score 3-2 in UAB’s favor. State's Yumi Ueda, playing at No. 4, went to the wire before falling to Natascha Immele 1-6, 6-2, 6-4.

At the no. 3 singles spot, UAB freshman Margaux Melsheimer suffered her first loss of the season as Olivera fought off numerous match points to win 7-6(6), 3-6, 7-6(10). Melsheimer is now 16-1 in dual-match play and 25-6 overall.

Down 3-2, MSU won matches at the no.5 and no.6 spots to clinch the match 4-3.

The Blazers will play their last home match of the season this coming Monday, April 2nd against Houston in a C-USA match-up. Match time is set for 11:00 a.m. at the Brook Highland Racquet Club.

UAB (#49) vs. Mississippi State (#48)
March 30, 2001 at Starkville, Miss.

SINGLES
1. Mirela Vladulescu (#30) vs. Amelie Detriviere        UAB     6-7, 6-4, 6-4
2. Monika Schmid vs. Carole Soubis      		UAB     6-4, 6-4
3. Margaux Melsheimer vs. Claudia Oliveira      	MSU     7-6, 3-6, 7-6
4. Natascha Immele vs. Yumi Ueda        		UAB     1-6, 6-2, 6-4 
5. Femke deBoer vs. Anca Vasiloaica     		MSU     6-3, 7-6
6. Tanja Pflugfelder vs. Linda Mattsson 		MSU     6-4, 6-2

DOUBLES
1. Vladulescu/Schmid (#40) vs. Olivera/Soubis   	UAB     8-4 
2. deBoer/Melsheimer vs. Detriviere/Camila Sagae        MSU     9-7
3. Immele/Pflugfelder vs. Mattsson/Ueda 		MSU     8-5
							UAB (16-1) 3 , MSU 4