In the fifth match of the new season, the Owls faced off against Cincinnati, falling to the Bearcats 4-3 on Friday at Legacy Tennis Center.
In the first flight in doubles action, Bearcats sophomores Natalia Abdalla and Ali Miller defeated sophomore Alina Abdurakhimova and junior Anais Nussaume 6-2. The second match featured Cincinnati’s Harley Hutchinson and Lauren Bellinger, where the tandem defeated junior Marina Bedon and sophomore Yana Kohn 6-2.
“It was tough going into the match today because Dina Karina suffered a concussion yesterday in practice”, said coach Steve Mauro. “I think not having Dina in the lineup for doubles really threw the girls off. They weren’t really used to playing with one another. If Dina was on the court, I think this match would have gone another way”.
In singles, Cincinnati won the three matches, giving them a 4-0 advantage over the Owls.
In the fourth flight, senior Minami Okajima defeating Natalia Abdalla in straight sets. The Owls then totaled two more victories when Khon defeated Cincinnati’s Katya Bure and Bedon defeated Harley Hutchinson.
“On another day, I think we beat Cincinnati. Don’t get me wrong; they’re a tough team. But our health was the biggest factor in today’s match”, said coach Steve Mauro.
Zach Bailey can be reached at zach.bailey@temple.edu
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