by Kevin Buczek
WILSON, N.C.-Barton College won all six singles matches to pull away for an 8-1 Conference Carolinas women's tennis victory over visiting Lees-McRae College on Saturday afternoon at the Barton Tennis Complex.
The Lady Bulldogs second straight win moved the squad to 9-6 overall. The victory also ended a three-game losing streak to conference competition as Barton moved back over .500 in the league at 5-4.
The Bobcats (0-11, 0-6) won the top doubles match to prevent the shutout in a narrow 8-6 match but the Lady Bulldogs won the other two foursomes to take a 2-1 lead into singles.
Sophomore Alicia Lasry and freshman Smiljana Kljajic coasted to an 8-0 shellacking in the middle pairs bout and Senior Francesca Del Pozo and junior Caroline Fischer coasted to an 8-2 win in the third doubles match.
Lasry-Kljajic (2-1) won for a second straight time as tandem and Del Pozo-Fischer (7-8) inched to within one win of .500 together.
The Lady Bulldogs swept all six singles matches in straight sets to pull away.
Senior Lindsey Frederick (8-6) had the most dominating win by not losing a single game in a 6-0, 6-0 triumph at No. 4. Fischer (8-6) nearly matched Frederick at No. 5 with a lopsided 6-1, 6-0 win. Kljajic (4-10) picked up her third straight triumph atop the singles lineup by easily winning 6-3, 6-0. Lasry (10-4) and sophomore Meredith Pruden (10-5) each picked up their 10th singles win of the season in the second and third flights, respectively. Lasry toppled her opponent 6-4, 6-2 and Pruden disposed of hers 6-2, 6-3. Junior Kristy Lievense (9-3) had to work the hardest for her win but she delivered with a 7-5, 6-4 victory at No. 6.
Barton will next host non-conference Southeast Region foe UNC Pembroke on Tuesday at 3 p.m.
