by Kevin Buczek
WILSON, N.C.-Senior Caroline Fischer and freshman Randi Price won their doubles match paired together and then went on to win their singles showdowns in leading the Barton College women's tennis team to a big 6-3 Conference Carolinas home win over University of Mount Olive on Thursday afternoon at the Barton Tennis Complex.
The Lady Bulldogs trailed 2-1 after doubles but won five of six singles tilts including wins by sophomore Smiljana Kljajic, freshman Ananya Sarkar and junior Meredith Pruden to overcome the deficit.
Barton improved to 10-5 overall and 3-3 in the league while slipping the Trojans to 9-4 and 4-3.
Price and Fischer gutted out a 9-7 win in the third doubles match. Kljajic and Sarkar nearly gave BC the lead in the top doubles tilt but Francesca Ceppi and Roxanne Chouinard fought back to win the encounter in a tiebreaker, 9-8 (6).
Kljajic posted an impressive straight set win over Ceppi in straight-sets. Kljajic won her battle over the two-time All-Conference honoree by a score of 7-6 (4), 6-4. Kljajic improved her singles ledger to 8-5.
Sarkar (6-3, 6-1), Pruden (6-2, 6-1) and Price (6-3, 6-1) all won in straight sets. Pruden boasts a team-best 11-3 record with her sixth straight win; Price moved to 6-5 with her fourth consecutive triumph; and Sarkar is 7-4 at No. 2 in the lineup.
Fischer put the exclamation point on the Lady Bulldogs conquest over their local rivals by outlasting her fore in three sets by scores of 7-5, 2-6 and 7-5. Fischer is 7-3 in singles.
Barton is next scheduled to play at Belmont Abbey College on Sunday at 2 p.m.
