MORROW, Ga. – Facing a team that was nationally ranked until just recently, Clayton State (2-8, 0-6 PBC) notched a couple of wins but could not overcome USC Aiken (7-6, 2-5 PBC) as they fell 7-2 in an NCAA Division II women's tennis match on Friday, March 24.
Following an 8-2 Pacer win at No. 3 doubles, freshman
Laura Shkembi (Oostende, Belgium) and junior
Alina Ageichik (Minsk, Republic of Belarus) put up a fight at the two spot before falling by an 8-5 margin. The No. 1 doubles pairing of seniors
Kristiin Mets (Kuressaare, Estonia) and
Darina Drozdova (St. Petersburg, Russia) would be another tight affair.
Taking on Olivera Veskovac and Marie Habiyaremye, the Clayton State senior tandem found themselves trailing 7-6 in the match and 40-15 in the set. They would fight off two match points and rally for an impressive 9-8 victory to make it 2-1 USCA heading into singles play.
The Pacers would notch the first five matches in that frame to claim the contest before Ageichik battled back at No. 4. After dropping a 7-6 decision to open the match, she picked up wins of 6-3 and 10-1 to reach the final margin of 7-2.
Following a rare Saturday off due to rescheduling of recent matches, the Lakers will be back in action on Sunday, March 26 when they host Augusta in Peach Belt Conference action. First serve is set for 2 p.m. at the Clayton State Tennis Facility.
USC Aiken 7, Clayton State 2
