Owens Clinches 4-3 Comeback Win Against GW

Saturday, March 23

Westhampton Courts

2:30PM

University of Richmond

George Washington

03/23/2019 | Women's Tennis

RICHMOND, Va. – The University of Richmond women's tennis team was down 3-2 and earned two comeback wins to knock off George Washington, 4-3, Saturday at the Westhampton Tennis Courts.

The Colonials led Richmond 3-2 before Dessi Zlateva (Sofia, Bulgaria) won a tight match against Bayraktaroglu, 6-7 (3), 6-3, 7-5, at No. 3 singles. Zlateva was trailing 5-4 in the third set before saving a match point and winning the next three games to tie the match at 3-3.

The deciding match came down to No. 4 singles as Lea Owens (Olney, Md.) played a marathon match winning 6-7 (1), 7-6 (6), 6-4, to give the Spiders a 4-3 victory. Owens forced a third set by winning a tight second set tiebreaker 8-6. In the third set, Owens was leading 5-2 before GW's Marinkovikj won two games to cut the lead to 5-4. Owens held on to win 6-4 in the third set.

The Spiders (6-6) won the doubles point after winning two of three matches. Junior Kiana Marshall (Bridgetown, Barbados) and sophomore Emily Dunbar (Medina, Ohio) fell 6-4 at No. 1 doubles against Maria Siopacha and Melis Bayraktaroglu, 6-4.

At No. 3 doubles, junior Lyndell Giffenig (Salisbury, Conn.) and sophomore Adrienne Haynes (Asheville, N.C.) earned a 6-1 win against Xenia De Luna and Victoria Kogan.

In the final match, Owens and Zlateva clinched the doubles point with a 6-4 win against Sara Grubac and Katerina Marinkovikj, at No. 2 doubles.

In singles action, George Washington tied the match at 1-1 after De Luna took down freshman Helene Heiberg (Oslo, Norway), 6-2, 6-3, at No. 5 singles.

Senior Ana Ramirez (Mexico City) won in straight-sets against Kogan, 7-5, 6-2, at No. 6 singles. The Colonials won the next two matches to take a 3-2 lead winning at No. 2 and No. 1 singles. Dunbar lost to Grubac, 6-3, 7-5, at No. 2 singles. Marshall fell in a tough third set 3-6, 7-5, 6-3, against Siopacha at No. 1 singles.

Richmond is now 2-1 in A-10 play and will host Georgetown on Sunday, March 24, at noon at the Westhampton Tennis Courts.

Richmond 4, George Washington 3
Singles
No. 1 – Maria Siopacha (GW) def. Kianna Marshall, 3-6, 7-5, 6-3
No. 2 – Sara Grubac (GW) def. Emily Dunbar, 6-3, 7-5
No. 3 – Dessi Zlateva def. Melis Bayraktaroglu (GW), 6-7 (3), 6-3, 7-5
No. 4 – Lea Owens def. Katarina Marinkovikj (GW), 6-7 (1), 7-6 (6), 6-4
No. 5 – Xenia De Luna (GW) def. Helene Heiberg, 6-2, 6-3
No. 6 – Ana Ramirez def. Victoria Kogan (GW), 7-5, 6-2
Order of finish: 5, 6, 2, 1, 3, 4

Doubles
No. 1 – Siopacha/Bayraktaroglu (GW) def. Dunbar/Marshall, 6-4
No. 2 –Zlateva/Owens def. Grubac/Marinkovikj (GW), 6-4
No. 3 – Lyndell Giffenig/Adrienne Haynes def. De Luna/Kogan (GW), 6-1

-UR-