THIBODAUX, La. - After building a 3-0 lead over McNeese, the Nicholls State University women's tennis team had to fend off a comeback by the Cowgirls before going on to secure a 5-2 victory Sunday at the Colonel Tennis Complex.
McNeese trimmed the deficit to 3-2 with wins at 4 and 6 in singles, and then won the second sets on courts 5 and 2 to keep its hopes alive. But
Carla Bouygues clinched the win for Nicholls with a 6-4, 4-6, 6-4 win over Yukina Abe at No. 5.
Sophia Sara Safarova then gave Nicholls a fifth point with a three-set win at No. 2 as she bounced back from a 7-1 loss in the second-set tiebreaker to win 6-3 in the third.
With the victory, Nicholls (10-6) improved to 2-0 in Southland Conference play while McNeese fell to 2-13 and 0-3. The victory also snapped a four-game skid in the series against the Cowgirls.
Nicholls got off to a slow start in doubles by dropping the top court, but fought back to win courts 3 and 2 by the score of 6-4.
Morgan Forshag/Safarova tied the doubles match with a win at 3, then Bouygues and
Constanza Cruz came through with the victory at 2.
In singles,
Jessie Mount and
Simona Maksimovic won in straight sets at lines 3 and 1. The victory snapped a six-match streak for Maksimovic while Mount has won her last three decisions.
But McNeese rallied as Natalia Ballo beat
Laura Lopez in straight sets, 6-4, 6-3. Forshag was able to force a third set at No. 6 before falling 3-6, 6-4, 4-6.
UP NEXT
The Colonels will head to Texas for their next two matches, taking on UIW (Friday, April 1) and Texas A&M-Corpus Christi (April 3).
