Clarksville, TN – The Austin Peay State University (APSU) women’s tennis celebrated Senior Day and picked up an important Ohio Valley Conference win when it knocked off Eastern Illinois, 6-1, Friday at the Governors Tennis Courts.
Austin Peay (7-3, 2-2) grabbed control of the match early, with Fabienne Schmidt and Danielle Morris staying perfect in doubles action and pushing their season-long winning streak to nine matches with a win in the No. 1 position.
The No. 2 doubles match was the next to go final, with Aleks Topalovic and Jana Leder knocking off the Panthers No. 2 duo to pick up their fourth doubles win of the season and win the doubles point for the Governors.
With the doubles point already secured, Ana Albertson and Honoka Nakanishi trailed, 3-4, in No. 3 doubles, but the match was left unfinished.
In the first singles match of the day, the Panthers got a point back when Rachel Papavasilopoulos – the OVC’s No. 2 ranked player in the preseason – knocked off Schmidt in the No. 1 singles match. However, that was the last point Eastern Illinois would score in the match, as Topalovic picked up a convincing win in the No. 4 singles match to put the Govs back in front, 2-1.
The No. 5 singles match was the next on the board and Martina Paladini-Jennings beat Eastern Illinois’ Addison Brown handily to stretch the Austin Peay advantage to 3-1. Needing just one more point to win the match, Morris took care of business in the No. 2 match and picked up the match-clinching point when she dispatched Elizaveta Bukraba-Ulanova.
With the match already decided, Topalovic tacked on another point for the Governors when she beat Brittany Steven on the No. 4 line.
With all of her teammates gathered to watch the final match left on the courts, Austin Peay State University senior Ana Albertson picked up her first singles win of the season when she knocked off Eastern Illinois’ Lauren Ellis in the No. 6 match to put the finishing touches on a 6-1 win for the Govs on Senior Day.
Results
Doubles
- Fabienne Schmidt/Danielle Morris (APSU) def. Lauren Ellis/Elizaveta Bukraba-Ulanova (EIU) 6-1
- Aleks Topalovic /Jana Leder (APSU) def. Brittany Steven/Rachel Papavasilopoulos (EIU) 6-1
- Ana Albertson /Honoka Nakanishi (APSU) vs. Addison Brown/Christine Gouws (EIU) 3-4, unfinished
Order of Finish: 1, 2*
Singles
- Rachel Papavasilopoulos (EIU) def. Fabienne Schmidt (APSU) 6-0, 6-1
- Danielle Morris (APSU) def. Elizaveta Bukraba-Ulanova (EIU) 6-3, 6-3
- Jana Leder (APSU) def. Christine Gouws (EIU) 6-3, 6-3
- Aleks Topalovic (APSU) def. Brittany Steven (EIU) 6-3, 6-1
- Martina Paladini-Jennings (APSU) def. Addison Brown (EIU) 6-2, 6-1
- Ana Albertson (APSU) def. Lauren Ellis (EIU) 6-4, 6-2
Order of Finish: 1, 4, 5, 2*, 3, 6
Next Up For Austin Peay State University Women’s Tennis
The Austin Peay State University (APSU) women’s tennis team will be back in action when it hosts an 11:00am, Sunday match against SIU Edwardsville at the Governors Tennis Courts. The Govs will then hit the road for the final time this season when they travel to the Music City for a 2:00pm, Tuesday match against Belmont.
In the time of COVID-19 Coronavirus, there is always a chance that a match will be postponed or not come to fruition. For news, scheduling changes, and scores, be sure to check back at LetsGoPeay.com or follow the APSU Governors women’s tennis Twitter account (@AustinPeayWTN).
