March 17, 2012

GREENVILLE, S.C. - Furman dropped only one set in six singles matches and used a pair of decisive doubles wins to earn a 7-0 non-conference victory over East Carolina Saturday morning at the Mickel Tennis Center.

The loss was the second-straight for the Lady Pirates and dropped their record to 6-10. The Paladins improved their spring dual match mark to 5-7.

Furman opened play by capturing the doubles point, using 8-1 and 8-5 victories at the No. 1 and No. 3 slots, respectively. ECU's Dana Gray and Neena Wanko pushed Margaret Boyette and Kelly Sullivan in a No. 2 battle before suffering a 9-7 setback.

The Paladins continued their strong performance in singles action, posting straight-set triumphs in five of the six matchups. Sophomore Renata Bakieva turned in the Lady Pirates' top effort, forcing Michele Stanford to a third set before falling 6-3, 4-6, 10-8 in a No. 2 meeting.

In other flights, Lauren Kline defeated Natalie Collins 6-2, 6-0 at No. 1, Boyette handed Wanko a 6-2, 7-5 loss at No. 3, Katherine Oudin rolled to a 6-1, 6-1 win over Yilian Zhang at No. 4, Alex Moreno-Kaste posted a 6-0, 6-3 victory against Danielle Terpko at No. 5 and Amanda Murray dismissed Gray 6-0, 6-1 at No. 6.

East Carolina (6-10), which closed out a nine-match roadswing with the loss to Furman, will return home for the first time since Feb. 15 when it hosts UNC Wilmington Tuesday beginning at 2 p.m.

FURMAN 7, EAST CAROLINA 0
Singles Play
No. 1 - Lauren Kline (FUR) def. Natalie Collins (ECU) 6-2, 6-0
No. 2 - Michele Stanford (FUR) def. Renata Bakieva (ECU) 6-3, 4-6, 10-8
No. 3 - Margaret Boyette (FUR) def. Neena Wanko (ECU) 6-2, 7-5
No. 4 - Katherine Oudin (FUR) def. Yilian Zhang (ECU) 6-1, 6-1
No. 5 - Alex Moreno-Kaste (FUR) def. Danielle Terpko (ECU) 6-0, 6-3
No. 6 - Amanda Murray (FUR) def. Dana Gray (ECU) 6-0, 6-1
Doubles Play
No. 1 - Kline/Moreno-Kaste (FUR) def. Terpko/Zhang (ECU) 8-1
No. 2 - Boyette/Kelly Sullivan (FUR) def. Gray/Wanko (ECU) 9-7
No. 3 - Murray/Stanford (FUR) def. Bakieva/Collins (ECU) 8-5
Team Records: East Carolina 6-10, Furman 5-7