Bulldogs Take Down Chattanooga in Close Match

ASHEVILLE – Five singles matches went three sets and UNC Asheville's women's tennis team emerged victorious in a close affair, defeating Chattanooga, 4-3, Friday afternoon at the Asheville Racquet Club.

The Bulldogs (4-1) claimed an early upper-hand, winning two-of-three doubles matches to secure the first point. Lize Alet Morkel and Rosie Dickson took down Emma Van Hee and Carolina Gibbons, 6-2, at the No. 1 spot. The senior tandem of Emily Sidor and Lauren Watson-Steele claimed a 6-3 triumph at the No. 3 position against Callie Billman and Lilly Holmes.

Five of the six singles matches would take three sets to decide, with the first four matches played first on the four indoor courts of the ARC.

Morkel dropped her first set to Jessie Young, 6-4, but rebounded with a strong 6-2 victory in Set Two. She then finished off Young with a 6-4 result in the decisive third set.

Playing at No. 2, Ami Grace Dougah won her first set against the Mocs' Polina Goloputova, 6-4. Dougah fell in the second, 6-3, but closed out strong with a 6-1 effort to claim a point for the Bulldogs.

Sidor dropped her first set, 6-3, playing against Lilly Holmes at the No. 3 spot, but rebounded with a 6-3 victory in the second set, and then finished with a bang, securing the final set, 6-1.

"It was a good win for us," head coach Lise Gregory said. "I think we competed really, really well, particularly at the top of the lineup. We didn't play particularly well at the top of the lineup, but we competed really well at those spots, which is really important.

"Chattanooga is a really good team and has a lot of depth, so it was really big that we get on the board early in those top spots."

At No. 4, Watson-Steele won her first set against Bogdana Zaporozhets, 6-3, but fell in the final two, 6-0, 6-1. Anastasia Horvat, playing in the No. 6 spot, also claimed a first-set victory, 6-1, but dropped the second 6-2, and then fell in the third set.

The Bulldogs close out their six-match home stand to open the season when they take on North Greenville, next Friday, February 21, at the Asheville Racquet Club.

UNC Asheville 4, Chattanooga 3

SINGLES
1. MORKEL, Lize Alet (AVL-W) def. Jessie Young (UTC) 4-6, 6-2, 6-4
2. DOUGAH, Ami Grace (AVL-W) def. Polina Goloputova (UTC) 6-4, 3-6, 6-1
3. SIDOR, Emily (AVL-W) def. Lilly Holmes (UTC) 3-6, 6-3, 6-1
4. Bogdana Zaporozhets (UTC) def. WATSON-STEELE, Laure (AVL-W) 6-3, 0-6, 6-1
5. Emma Van Hee (UTC) def. DICKSON, Rosie (AVL-W) 7-5, 6-3
6. Callie Billman (UTC) def. HORVAT, Anastasia (AVL-W) 1-6, 6-2, 1-0

DOUBLES
1. MORKEL, Lize Alet/DICKSON, Rosie (AVL-W) def. Emma Van Hee/Caroline Gibbons (UTC) 6-2
2. Jessie Young/Bogdana Zaporozhets (UTC) def. DOUGAH, Ami Grace/TARANTO, Brianna (AVL-W) 7-5
3. SIDOR, Emily/WATSON-STEELE, Laure (AVL-W) def. Callie Billman/Lilly Holmes (UTC) 6-3

Bulldogs Take Down Chattanooga in Close Match

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Players Mentioned

Rosie Dickson

Ami Grace Dougah

Anastasia Horvat

Lize Alet Morkel

Emily Sidor

Lauren Watson-Steele

Team Stats