CAPE GIRARDEAU, Mo. – Southeast Missouri women's tennis (1-2) continues its 2020 season with a pair of dual matches in Memphis, Tennessee. Southeast faces Lipscomb (0-4) Saturday at 2:30 p.m. before meeting with Memphis (1-3) of the American Athletic Conference Sunday at 9 a.m. Both duals will be held at the Eldon Roark Tennis Center.
The Redhawks head into the weekend after securing their first dual victory of the campaign on Jan. 29 against Saint Louis (1-1), 6-1, in O'Fallon, Illinois.
Romana Tarajova,
Kseniya Zonova and
Manuela Barriga each earned a pair of wins (singles and doubles) in the dual.
Southeast captured the doubles point to open the match.
Lera Valeeva and Barriga cruised past Mariluz Rojo and Nawal Cheema, 6-2, at the third position for Valeeva's first collegiate win. Tarajova and Zonova then beat Cassie McKenzie and Ariana Rodriguez, 6-2, to secure the point.
The Redhawks extended their advantage in the dual to 3-0 when the competition switched to singles with wins at the no. 6. and no. 4 slots.
Barriga defeated Cheema, 6-1, 6-2, before
Vivian Lai ousted Rodriguez, 6-2, 6-2. For Lai, it was her first career dual victory as a Redhawk.
Saint Louis won its only match of the day at third singles when McKenzie overcame Valeeva, 7-5, 6-4. SEMO then rattled off wins at the first, fifth and second lineup spots for its first dual win during the 2020 campaign.
Tarajova, the 2019 Ohio Valley Conference Freshman of the Year and First-Team All-OVC honoree, battled past Rojo, 7-6, 6-2, at first singles.
Teona Velkoska then fought her way past Adriana Gonzalez in three sets, 6-4, 3-6, 6-2, at the fifth position.
Zonova closed out the match with a 2-6, 7-5, 7-6 comeback victory over Mika Misgav at no. 2 singles.
Lipscomb (0-4) is winless in 2020 with losses on the road to Samford (1/24), Alabama (1/25), Louisville (1/31) and Furman (2/1). Kate Popova (1-3) and Liza Diachenko (1-2) each registered singles wins over Louisville on Feb. 1 at the first and fifth positions.
Memphis (1-3) has also faced tough competition to open the dual season with setbacks to Southeastern Conference opponents Arkansas (1/18), Ole Miss (1/20) and Auburn (2/2). The Tigers swept UT Martin, 4-0, on Jan. 20 in Oxford, Mississippi, for their first win in 2020.
After their trip to the Bluff City, Southeast next heads to Columbia, Missouri, for a doubleheader against Missouri on Saturday, Feb. 15. Matches are scheduled for 11 a.m. and 3 p.m. at the Mizzou Tennis Complex.
