PEACHTREE CITY, Ga. - The East second-seeded Georgia Southern women's tennis team advanced to the 2021 Sun Belt Conference Tournament final with a 4-2 win over West top-seeded UT Arlington at the Peachtree Tennis Center on Saturday.
The Eagles (18-8) will meet East top seed South Alabama - 4-3 winners over Coastal Carolina in the other semifinal - for the league title on Sunday. UT Arlington falls to 18-4 on the season with the loss. The 18 wins sets a new single-season record for wins in the 48-year history of Georgia Southern women's tennis.
Georgia Southern makes a second straight appearance in the Sun Belt Conference Tournament final after advancing to the 2019 title match. The 2020 tournament was cancelled due to COVID-19. The Eagles are attempting to win their first conference tournament since winning the SoCon Tournament in 1995 and 1996, when the tournament was a flighted affair. A win on Sunday over the Jaguars would give the Eagles the automatic qualifier and a first bid into the NCAA Championships.
The Eagles took the doubles point by winning at No. 1 doubles as Charlotte van Diemen and Sophie Wagemaker downed Liz Chileno and Nanaka Takeuchi, 6-2, then getting a comeback victory by Paula Boixader and Nadja Meier over Bruna Casasampere and Lucia Natal at No. 2 doubles, 7-5. Boixader and Meier trailed 3-0 early in the match and came up with a break of serve to clinch the match and the point.
UTA started strongly in singles play, taking four of six first sets. The Mavericks tied the score at 1-1 as Chileno defeated Boixader, 6-2, 6-2, at No. 2 singles. Georgia Southern went back in front as Nadja Meier collected a 7-5, 6-1 win over Momoka Horiguchi at No. 1 singles, but the Mavericks would tie things up on a straight-set singles win at No. 6 singles.
The remaining three singles matches all went to third sets. Sophie Wagemaker brought the Eagles one point away from clinching the match with a 6-2, 1-6, 6-4 win over Polina Akimova at No. 3 singles. Mila Hartig then sent the Eagles into the final with a 4-6, 6-3, 6-0 win over Carla Pons at No. 4 singles.
"I think we started finding a little bit of a lead when Nadja took her match at No. 1," Georgia Southern Head Coach Sean McCaffrey said. "Then Mila and Paula [Hijos] picked up their second sets after dropping their first sets. I felt a real shift of momentum then. When Sophie got to 5-4 in the third and clinched her match, at the same time Mila was up 4-0 in her third set. The key for us was just staying in the moment, not getting too flustered, and the one thing we've been talking about a lot lately - being relentless. Our team gave themselves a chance. They earned it, took full advantage of it and I'm extremely proud of it."
Georgia Southern sees a familiar opponent in the final in South Alabama. The two teams played twice this season, each team winning on its own court. The two teams also met in the 2019 Sun Belt Tournament final, won by the Jaguars, 4-1.
"We payed them a couple of weeks ago, without Paula [Boixader], and were able to beat them," Coach McCaffrey said. "A lot depends on us. We will recover after today's match, and if we come out tomorrow ready for a big fight, I like our chances."
RESULTS
Singles
Nadja Meier (GS) def. Momoka Horiguchi (UTA) 7-5, 6-1
Liz Cheleno (UTA) def. Paula Boixader (GS) 6-2, 6-2
Sophie Wagemaker (GS) def. Polina Akimova (UTA) 6-2, 1-6, 6-4
Mila Hartig (GS) def. Carla Pons (UTA) 4-6, 6-3, 6-0
Paula Hijos (GS) led Lucia Natal (UTA) 6-7 (5), 6-3, 3-2, unfinished
Almudena Boza (UTA) def. Elizabeth Goines (GS) 6-1, 6-3
Doubles
Charlotte van Diemen/Sophie Wagemaker (GS) def. Liz Chileno/Nanaka Takeuchi (UTA) 6-2
Paula Boixader/Nadja Meier (GS) def. Bruna Casasampere/Lucia Natal (UTA) 7-5
Almudena Boza/Carla Pons (UTA) def. Elizabeth Goines/Sonja Keranen (GS) 6-2
