GREENVILLE, S.C. — By stepping up at critical moments in both doubles and singles, Mississippi State’s women’s tennis team captured its first road victory of the 2021 season Sunday in an impressive 6-1 decision at Furman. The match was played indoors at Furman’s four-court Mickel Tennis Center.

With the win, the Bulldogs improved to 2-0 on the season while the Paladins fell to 0-3, all three setbacks having come to Southeastern Conference teams.

“I am very proud of our team’s effort today,” head coach Daryl Greenan said. “We overcame a very solid opponent and a lot of adverity. It is always a challenge playing on the road. It gets even more difficult when matches are moved indoors where courts are faster and lighting is not what you are used to. We definitely did not play our best tennis even considering how early it is in the season but we fought very hard. Without that extra effort we would not have won all four matches that went the full three sets. It easily could have been a different outcome if it wasn’t for the collective effort we displayed.

The Bulldogs relied on triumphs on courts 2 and 3 to claim the doubles point and jump ahead of the Paladins early. On court one, Chloé Cirotte and Tamara Racine fell to Furman’s 27th-ranked tandem of Julia Adams and Katarina Kozarov 6-3. Then on court two, State’s duo of Magda Adaloglou and Lilian Poling downed Madison Dillon and Ellie Schoppe by the same margin. The doubles point would then be decided in a tiebreaker on court three, where Bulldogs Emma Antonaki and Alexandra Mikhailuk edged Furman’s Maryann Rompf and Georgie Walker 7-6(5) to give MSU the early 1-0 advantage.

In singles, the Paladins grabbed the first match to finish when Furman’s 15^th-ranked Kozarov held off State’s Racine 6-1, 6-4 at the top spot in the lineup to tie the match at 1-1. With the match still very much in the balance, courts 2-4 would all go to the a third set, but the Bulldogs would claim all three contests to clinch the victory.

Mikhailuk responded for MSU with a 2-6, 6-3, 6-2 triumph over Rompf at No. 4 for her fourth consecutive triumph and sixth in her last seven outings. State’s Adaloglou edged Dillon 6-3, 3-6, 7-5 in a three-set battle at the third position. It was the MSU veteran’s 10^th win in her last 11 matches dating back to the 2020 campaign.

MSU’s 69^th-ranked Antonaki then provided the heroics on court 2 as she rallied back from dropping the first set to oust the Paladins’ Adams 2-6, 6-4, 7-6(5) and clinch the match for the Bulldogs. The comeback kept her win streak – which now stands at nine straight victories – intact.

The Maroon and White extended their lead to 5-1 when the senior transfer Poling rolled past Furman’s Schoppe 6-2, 6-2 at the No. 5 spot.

In the final match to finish, MSU’s Cirotte capped the successful day by ousting Paladin Maggie Pate 6-2, 4-6, 1-0(3) on court 6. The triumph marked the first dual match victory of the true freshman’s Bulldog career.

Next up, State will host Memphis this Friday, Jan. 29, to kick off a seven-match homestand in Starkville.

For more information on Mississippi State women’s tennis team, visit HailState.com and follow “HailStateWT” on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.

Mississippi State 6, Furman 1
January 24, 2021
Greenville, South Carolina – Mickel Tennis Center

 

Doubles
1. #27 Julia Adams/Katarina Kozarov (FUR) def. Chloé Cirotte/Tamara Racine (MSU) 6-3

2. Magda Adaloglou/Lilian Poling (MSU) def. Madison Dillon/Ellie Schoppe (FUR) 6-3
3. Emma Antonaki/Alexandra Mikhailuk (MSU) def. Maryann Rompf/Georgie Walker (FUR) 7-6(5)
   Order of finish: 1,2,3

 

Singles

1. #15 Katarina Kozarov (FUR) def. Tamara Racine (MSU) 6-1, 6-4
2. #69 Emma Antonaki (MSU) def. Julia Adams (FUR) 2-6, 6-4, 7-6(5)
3. Magda Adaloglou (MSU) def. Madison Dillon (FUR) 6-3, 3-6, 7-5
4. Alexandra Mikhailuk (MSU) def. Maryann Rompf (FUR) 2-6, 6-3, 6-2
5. Lilian Poling (MSU) def. Ellie Schoppe (FUR) 6-3, 6-2
6. Chloé Cirotte (MSU) def. Maggie Pate (FUR) 6-2, 4-6, 1-0(3)

Order of finish: 1,4,3,2,5,6