Bears Suffer 6-1 Loss to Florida Gulf Coast on Saturday
2/22/2020 9:00:00 PM | Women's Tennis
Mercer will continue its homestand on March 1 vs. Georgia Southern
MACON, Ga. – The Mercer women's tennis team returned to action on Saturday and suffered a 6-1 loss to the Florida Gulf Coast Eagles at the LeRoy Peddy Tennis Center.
The Bears started slow in doubles action as the Eagles won all three matches and jumped out to an early 1-0 lead.
In singles action, Mercer had three matches go to a third set but did not earn the win in two of the three contests. Alara Hollyfield picked up the Bears' lone victory in the contest with 6-4, 1-6, 6-4 defeat of Sara Kelly in the No. 2 flight.
Maeva Roquebert (No. 1) and Lauren Rich (No. 4) both extended their matches to a third set but were ultimately lost the match.
After falling in the first set, Roquebert shutout Maja Ornberg 6-0, to force a final set. Roquebert was unable to maintain the dominance she displayed in the second set as she dropped set three, 2-6.
Florida Gulf Coast's Ida Ferding took the opening set from Rich at No. 4, 6-1, but Rich would battle back in similar fashion to Roquebert. Rich did not allow Ferding a single triumph in the second set, but the results were reserved in set three as Ferding won the set to clinch the match.
The Eagles also earned victories in the No. 3, 5 and 6 sets in straight sets on their way to the 6-1 victory.
With the loss, Mercer drops to 3-6 overall, while the victory puts FGCU back at .500 on the season.
How it happened
DOUBLES
1. Perez / Ornberg def. Roquebert / Courville, 6-3
2. Fisch / Kelly def. Mottet / Rich, 6-3
3. Retortillo / Ramalle def. Hollyfield / Sovic, 6-4
SINGLES
1. Maja Ornberg def. Maeva Roquebert, 6-1, 0-6, 6-2
2. Alara Hollyfield def. Sara Kelly, 6-4, 1-6, 6-4
3. Sofia Perez def. Mary Courville, 7-5, 6-3
4. Ida Ferding def. Lauren Rich, 6-1, 0-6, 6-0
5. Alba Retortillo def. Marie Mottet, 6-0, 6-4
6. Ramalle Lourdes def. Anna Sovic, 6-2, 6-4
Notables
- Hollyfield improved to 4-4 in singles play. She has played seven of her eight matches in the No. 2 flight and boasts a 4-3 in that position.
- Hollyfield's win gave Mercer its 15th singles win this season.
- The Bears still have five matches remaining in their seven-match homestand. The team will battle Georgia Southern (Mar. 1), Jacksonville State (Mar. 4), Georgia State (Mar. 7), Toledo (Mar. 9) and Alcorn State (Mar. 11). Â
Up Next
The Bears will not return to action until Sunday, March 1 when they welcome Georgia Southern to Macon for a 2 p.m. first serve.
Follow the Bears
For complete coverage of Mercer Women's Tennis, please follow the Bears on social media at @MercerWTennis (Twitter) and /MercerWTennis (Facebook) or visit the official home of Mercer Athletics at MercerBears.com.