CULLOWHEE, N.C. – Teona Velkoska and
Ksenia Shikanova each earned singles victories as Southeast Missouri women's tennis (6-4) dropped a 5-2 decision to Western Carolina (9-4) of the Southern Conference Sunday afternoon at the Catamount Tennis Complex.
After dropping the doubles point, Shikanova and Velkoska each registered singles wins to cut into the WCU lead.
Shikanova defeated Luzia Obermeier, 6-4, 6-2, at No. 3 singles for her sixth-straight win in 2022. Shikanova, a junior from Nizhny Novgorod, Russia, improved to 3-0 this season at the third position and paces SEMO with a 7-3 singles mark.
Velkoska then fought past Antonella Benavides, 7-6 (7-4), 6-4, at the fifth slot for her fourth-straight victory this season. With the win, Velkoska is now 5-3 in 2022.
The Catamounts opened Sunday's dual with two doubles wins to claim the point.
Obermeier and Jordyn King defeated
Vivian Lai and
Grace Powderly, 6-0, at the third position before SEMO knotted doubles at 1-1 with a win at the top spot.
At the No. 1 position,
Romana Tarajova and Shikanova beat Angela Perez and Julia Pezzuco, 6-3, before Kata Foldeak and Miray Konar edged
Daniela Hlacikova and Velkoska, 6-3, to claim the doubles point.
WCU then captured the dual win with victories at the sixth, second and fourth positions.
Hoda Habib beat Powderly, 6-0, 6-0, at No. 6 singles to push the Catamounts advantage to 2-0.
Miray Konar then overcame Hlacikova, 6-3, 6-4, after Shikanova's third singles win to extend the WCU lead to 3-1.
King then bested Lai, 6-4, 6-4, at fourth singles before Velkoska notched a victory at No. 5.
Foldeak concluded the dual with a win for WCU at the top slot. Foldeak fought past Tarajova, 6-2, 5-7, 6-3, to wrap up the match.
With the loss, SEMO's win streak was halted at five matches.
SEMO next faces the NAIA's (National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics) Montreat College Monday at 11 a.m., CT in Montreat, North Carolina, before wrapping up the three-match road trip to the Tar Heel State at Gardner-Webb of the Big South Thursday at 1 p.m., CT at the Webb Tennis Complex in Boiling Springs, North Carolina.
