by Kevin Buczek
WILSON, N.C.-Sophomore Meredith Pruden was the only Barton College women's tennis player to win at both singles and doubles in a narrow 5-4 Conference Carolinas home loss to Pfeiffer University on Saturday afternoon at the Barton Tennis Complex.
The Falcons won for an eighth consecutive time, improving to 8-3 overall. Pfeiffer remained one of three undefeated teams in conference play with a league ledger of 4-0. The Lady Bulldogs slipped to 7-4 and 4-2.
Pruden teamed up with freshman Smiljana Kljajic for a 8-1 win in the middle doubles match. Pruden and Kljajic's win was more impressive in that it ended a seven-match win streak for Pfeiffer's duo of Hannah Watson and Chelsi Haefele. Both tandems of Pruden-Kljajic and Watson-Haefele finished the day with 8-2 doubles records.
The Falcons did hold a 2-1 lead heading into singles by winning the other two doubles matches. The teams of Taylor Lindsay-Valerie Mendoza and Briana Oliver-Melinda Athay won 8-1 and 8-4, respectively, at No. 1 and No. 3.
Pfeiffer clinched the match at 5-1 with the first three singles wins. Lindsay was victorious atop the Falcons lineup winning 7-5, 6-2. Mendoza tallied a 6-3, 6-2 win at No. 3 and Oliver rolled 6-1, 6-2 at No. 5.
Mendoza has won eight straight times and has the Falcons best singles record of 9-1.
The Lady Bulldogs closed the final margin of defeat to just one point by rallying to win three super set tiebreakers.
Sophomore Alicia Lasry bounced back from a slow start with two dominating sets to win 5-7, 6-1, 10-1 in the second slot in Barton's lineup. Pruden recorded her second win of the day in the fourth flight with a 6-7 (4), 6-1, 11-9 conquest. Junior Kristy Lievense logged another win at the bottom of the Bulldogs lineup fighting back for a 4-6, 6-4, 11-9 win.
Pruden (8-3) has a team-high eight wins for Barton while Lasry (7-3) and Lievense (6-2) both boast winning records in dual matches.
Barton next visits local league rival Mount Olive College on Wednesday at 3:30 p.m.
