Southern Miss Falls in Heartbreaker to Middle Tennessee

Thursday, April 22

Denton, TX

9 AM

Southern Miss

Middle Tennessee

Southern Miss Falls in Heartbreaker to Middle Tennessee

4/22/2021 1:45:00 PM | Women's Tennis

DENTON, Texas -- Time and a couple of breaks in the final stages went the wrong way, and the No. 7-seeded Southern Miss women's team fell 4-2 on Thursday morning to Middle Tennessee in the first round of the C-USA Championships.

"What a great season; Middle Tennessee is always very tough and had another good team this year," head coach Steve Schram said. "I'm very proud of our season, and special thanks to Tanit Lopez and Katia de la Garza for a great three years they've been here with me. The future is very bright for the tennis program."

Suhana Das fell in a 7-5 tiebreaker on the third set of No. 5 that clinched it for the Blue Raiders. The sixth, and only remaining court, saw Stephanie Booth holding a 7-5, 6-6 edge over her opponent.

Southern Miss' two points came from Katia de la Garza and Monique Burton, who each won their singles bouts in two sets. It was de la Garza's team-high fifth-straight win.

The Golden Eagles dropped the doubles point for the first time in five matches, dating back to the March 7 win at Middle Tennessee that kicked off its win streak.

Despite the loss, Southern Miss (8-3) is 19-4 over the past two seasons. Individually, the Golden Eagles were 35-24 in singles and 16-12 in doubles over the spring.

Singles competition
1. Katia de la Garza (USM) def. Lee Barnard (MTSU) 6-4, 6-4
2. Lidia Burrows (MTSU) def. Sarah Medik (USM) 6-2, 6-1
3. Monique Burton (USM) def. Zani Barnard (MTSU) 7-6 (7-3), 6-3
4. Love-Star Alexis (MTSU) def. Ebru Zeynep Yazgan (USM) 6-2, 6-1
5. Muskan Gupta (MTSU) def. Suhana Das (USM) 2-6, 6-3, 7-6 (7-5)
6. Stephanie Booth (USM) vs. Noelle Mauro (MTSU) 7-5, 6-6, unfinished

Doubles competition
1. Love-Star Alexis/Zani Barnard (MTSU) def. Monique Burton/Julia Barden (USM) 6-1
2. Lidia Burrows/Lee Barnard (MTSU) def. Sarah Medik/Ebru Zeynep Yazgan (USM) 6-1
3. Katia de la Garza/Suhana Das (USM) vs. Muskan Gupta/Noelle Mauro (MTSU) 4-2, unfinished