by Kevin Buczek
WILSON, N.C.-Seniors Caroline Fischer and Kristy Lievense moved up the Lady Bulldogs lineup and posted straight-set victories to highlight play for host Barton College in a 9-0 rout of Meredith College Tuesday afternoon at the Barton Tennis Complex.
The Lady Bulldogs improved to 5-2 overall while the Avenging Angels start the season 0-1.
Barton won the top two doubles matches to secure the team victory early with Meredith having to forfeit three points with only four active players. Junior Meredith Pruden and freshman Randi Price did not lose a game en route to a perfect 8-0 win. Freshman Ananya Sarkar and sophomore Smiljana Kljajic held on for an 8-6 conquest in the top tier.
Pruden and Price moved to 3-1 as partners and Sarkar and Kljajic moved over .500 at 2-1 together.
The Royal Blue and White won 48 of 52 games in singles competition to complete the sweep. Lievense was the first Lady Bulldog to finish in singles with a flawless 6-0, 6-0 win at No. 4 in her first appearance of the season.
Kljajic matched Lievense with an impressive 6-0, 6-0 win atop the lineup .Kljajic's win came against three-year reigning USA South Player of the Year Puja Patel. Kljajic (4-1) lost to Patel in 2013 but dominated play in the rematch for her third consecutive win.
Pruden and Fischer posted matching 6-0, 6-2 triumphs at the second and third positions, respectively, to round out play. Pruden (5-1) leads the Lady Bulldogs with five dual match singles wins while Fischer (3-1) has wins at three different spots in the lineup.
Barton returns to Conference Carolinas play against No. 44 Erskine College on Friday. The Lady Bulldogs will host the Flying Fleet at the Barton Tennis Complex at 2 p.m. that day but if potential thunderstorms become a reality on Friday the match will be moved indoors to the Belmont Farms Racquet Club in Rocky Mount.
