University of Missouri
Mississippi
@MizzouTennis Comes Up Short in SEC Tournament Opener, Falls to Ole Miss, 4-2
4/19/2017 4:52:00 PM | Tennis
Senior Cassidy Spearman posted a win in the final match of her career
NASHVILLE, TENN. – Mizzou Tennis (11-14) fell in a back-and-forth SEC Tournament opener, 4-2, to Ole Miss on Wednesday afternoon. The Tigers received wins from senior Cassidy Spearman (Laguna Niguel, Calif.) and freshman Mackenzy Middlebrooks (Fort Lauderdale, Fla.), but came up just short of a first-round victory.
Ole Miss seized a 1-0 lead by securing the doubles point with wins at the No. 1 and No. 2 positions. It marked Santos and Ismail's first loss as a pairing in more than a month. The duo finished the regular season with six SEC wins, all over ranked opponents, and 12 wins during the 2017 spring campaign.
Spearman tied the overall match score at 1-1 after coasting to an impressive 6-1, 6-4 win at No. 3 singles. In her final career match, Spearman collected the 48th singles victory of her career. She finished the season with five dual wins at the No. 3 position.
Ole Miss regained a 2-1 edge with a win at No. 5 singles, but again Mizzou responded to tie the score at 2-2. Middlebrooks continued her recent string of success, grinding out a 7-5, 6-4 win at No. 4 singles. Middlebrooks wrapped up her freshman campaign riding a two-match win streak. She finished with nine dual singles victories and 16 overall in 2016-17.
The Rebels eventually prevailed with close wins at No. 1 and No. 6 singles, respectively. Freshman Tate Schroeder (Centennial, Colo.) was leading in a decisive third-set at No. 2 singles when the match was abandoned.
The NCAA Tournament doubles draw is set for May 3. Mizzou's top duo, Santos and Ismail, is ranked No. 15 in the nation and in solid position to earn a berth into the field.
For all the latest on Mizzou Tennis, stay tuned to MUTigers.com and follow the team on Facebook (MizzouTennis), Twitter (@MizzouTennis), and Instagram (@Mizzou_Tennis).
Match-by-Match Results:
Doubles:
No. 1: No. 47 Alexa Bortles/Arianne Hartono (OM) def. No. 15 Bea Machado Santos/Amina Ismail (MIZ), 6-3
No. 2: Zalina Khairudinova/Natalie Suk (OM) def. Cassidy Spearman/Mackenzy Middlebrooks (MIZ), 6-3
No. 3: Anna Vrbenska/Tea Jandric (OM) vs. Clare Raley/Tate Schroeder (MIZ), 5-4 unfinished
Singles:
No. 1: No. 33 Arianne Hartono (OM) def. No. 82 Bea Machado Santos (MIZ), 7-5, 7-6 (3)
No. 2: Tate Schroeder (MIZ) vs. No. 78 Natalie Suk (OM), 6-7, 6-4, 2-1 unfinished
No. 3: Cassidy Spearman (MIZ) def. Zalina Khairudinova (OM), 6-1, 6-4
No. 4: Mackenzy Middlebrooks (MIZ) def. Anna Vrbenska (OM), 7-5, 6-4
No. 5: Tea Jandric (OM) def. Amina Ismail (MIZ), 6-1, 6-4
No. 6: Alexa Bortles (OM) def. Clare Raley (MIZ), 6-2, 2-6, 6-2
Players Mentioned
