East Carolina University
Elon
Elon Rallies Past East Carolina, 4-3
March 18, 2015 | Women's Tennis
ELON, N.C. - Elon rallied back after dropping the doubles point and used Kirsten Ward's 6-4, 4-6, 6-3 victory over Michelle Castro in a No. 2 singles match to earn a 4-3 non-conference win over East Carolina Wednesday afternoon at the Jimmy Powell Tennis Center.
The Phoenix, who won for the third-straight time, improved to 8-5 with the triumph while the setback dropped the Pirates' record to 11-6.
Ward's clincher successfully capped an Elon comeback that erased an early 3-0 ECU lead and immediately followed Olivia Lucas' 2-6, 6-2, 6-0 win over Nicole LaDuca at the top of the lineup.
The Pirates used doubles victories by Castro and LaDuca at the No. 1 position and Dana Gray and Katie Hoch at No. 3 to capture the pairs point and establish an early 1-0 edge. Castro and LaDuca upped their record to 6-5 this spring after posting a 6-1 triumph over Barbora Lazarova and Ward, while Gray and Hoch downed Erica Braschi and Taylor Casey 6-3 for their team-best 10th win of the season.
Hoch opened singles play by defeating Maria Camara Ruiz 6-1, 6-2 at No. 5 to push the Pirate advantage to 2-0 before Maria Gomez dismissed Lazarova 6-2, 6-3 at the No. 3 slot for ECU's third and final tally. Elon began its rally with similar 6-3, 7-6 and 6-4, 7-5 victories at No. 4 and No. 6, respectively, to set the stage for the last two match-deciding three-set affairs.
East Carolina will dive back into American Athletic Conference play this weekend, visiting Houston on Friday morning before wrapping up its brief Texas trip with a meeting at SMU on Saturday.
ELON 4, EAST CAROLINA 3
Singles Play
No. 1 - Olivia Lucas (ELON) def. Nicole LaDuca (ECU) 2-6, 6-2, 6-0
No. 2 - Kirsten Ward (ELON) def. Michelle Castro (ECU) 6-4, 4-6, 6-3
No. 3 - Maria Gomez (ECU) def. Barbora Lazarova (ELON) 6-2, 6-3
No. 4 - Erica Braschi (ELON) def. Sarah Sarjoo (ECU) 6-3, 7-6
No. 5 - Katie Hoch (ECU) def. Maria Camara Ruiz (ELON) 6-1, 6-2
No. 6 - Taylor Casey (ELON) def. Neena Wanko (ECU) 6-4, 7-5
Doubles Play
No. 1 - Castro/LaDuca (ECU) def. Lazarova/Ward (ELON) 6-1
No. 2 - Bridget Liddell/Lucas (ELON) vs. Gomez/Wanko (ECU) 5-4, unfinished
No. 3 - Dana Gray/Hoch (ECU) def. Braschi/Casey (ELON) 6-3
Team Records: East Carolina 11-6, Elon 8-5
Players Mentioned
