Abdurakhimova takes Owls’ lone win on trip to Florida

Temple traveled to Tampa, Florida for two matches last weekend. The Owls (9-9, 1-2 American Athletic Conference) lost 4-0 to Florida International University, which is ranked 30th in the Intercollegiate Tennis Association, on Saturday. The Panthers won their 15th straight match. The next day, Owls fell 6-1 to conference opponent South Florida.

The Panthers swept the Owls in doubles to start the match. Junior Alina Abdurakhimova and senior Anais Nussaume lost 6-1 and junior Yana Khon and senior Mariana Bedon lost 6-0. Junior Monet Stuckey-Willis and senior Dina Karina’s match didn’t finish.

Abdurakhimova returned to the top singles position after missing two matches. She fell 6-2, 6-1 to sophomore Andrea Lazaro, the No. 41 ranked player in Division I. Stuckey-Willis, who played in the top position in place of Abdurakhimova in the last two matches, lost in the second position 6-1, 6-2.

Graduate student Galina Chernykh, in her third match since coming back from injury, lost in the fourth position 6-1, 6-1. Karina, Khon and Bedon did not finish their matches because Florida International already claimed the match.

All three doubles pairs lost against South Florida. Karina and Nussaume lost 3-4, 15-15. Chernykh teamed up with Abdurakhimova in the second position and lost 6-1. In the third position, Stuckey-Willis and Khon lost 6-3.

In singles, Abdurakhimova won the Owls’ only point of the weekend in the top position by beating Bulls sophomore Ana Roman Dominguez 6-2, 4-6, 10-8.The Bulls retook the lead in the second flight when Stuckey-Willis lost 6-1, 6-2.

Karina lost in the third flight 6-5, 6-2. In the fourth spot, Chernykh lost 6-1, 6-1. Bedon, who switched spots with Khon, lost in the fifth slot 6-2, 6-2 while Khon finished the match with a 6-3, 6-3 loss in the sixth position.

The Owls head back on the road for a match against Miami University on Friday before facing conference opponent Cincinnati on Saturday.

Graham Foley can be reached at graham.foley@temple.edu. Follow The Temple News @TheTempleNews and @TTN_Sports.