Box Score

SPARTANBURG, S.C. – Kennesaw State traveled to South Carolina to meet USC Upstate in its first Atlantic Sun Conference match of the season on Friday afternoon with hopes of knocking off the Spartans for the first time in the Division I era. The Owls came close, but couldn’t come up with the win, falling 4-3, at the Upstate Tennis Complex.

The Owls (3-4, 0-1 A-Sun) dropped the doubles point, as only the No. 2 doubles team of freshman Iesha Holton and sophomore Morgan Carney were able to win their match. The Owls underclassmen defeated Carolina Bello and Ana Sofia Camberos, 8-4 while Vera Shkundina and Alena Sergeychik were blanked at No. 1 and Agatha Palider and Mackenzie Swindall lost at no. 2 by an 8-2 margin.

"We continue to make strides against the better teams in the conference, but this was a tough loss to take,” said head coach Brandon Padgett. “Doubles continues to haunt us, as it has in every loss thus far this season."

In singles, the Owls had to battle without captain Ayano Tanaka at the No. 2 spot in the lineup, but was able to push USC Upstate (3-0, 1-0 A-Sun) to their toughest match of the young season.

The Spartans got off to a strong start, winning at No. 4 and No. 5 singles as they built a 3-0 advantage. However, Kennesaw State was win their first match of the day when Morgan Carney stopped Emilia Milanovic in straight sets. Carney, moving up in the lineup, took a tough first set, 7-5, before handling Milanovic, 6-3 for the match.

Shkundina defeated Monica Pezzotti, 7-6 (10-6) and 6-4 to cut the USC Upstate lead to 3-2 and Therese Lagerkvist tied the match after taking Camberos in straight sets, 6-4, 7-5. With the match in the balance, Holton, who won the first set, took Francisca Valderrama into the third set before falling 3-6, 6-2, 6-3.

"I'm very proud of the effort we gave in singles, and Vera, Morgan, and Tess pulled out some great wins for us,” added Padgett. “Iesha played a great match, but was unable to sustain the strong start.  This young group of players will continue to grow and develop, so I am very excited about the direction we are headed. "Losing to this strong team, 6-1, last year and how we did today shows a solid growth in our program, and I am certainly proud of that."

The Owls will be back in action on Sunday afternoon for their home opener. The Black and Gold will face North Carolina Central at 10:00 a.m. followed by a meeting with Savannah State at 1:00 p.m. at the KSU Tennis Complex.

USC Upstate 4, Kennesaw State 3
Upstate Tennis Complex | Spartanburg, S.C.

Singles
No. 1 Vera Shkundina (KSU) def. Monica Pezzotti (USC Upstate) 7-6(6), 6-4
No. 2 Francisca Valderrama (USC Upstate) def. Iesha Holton (KSU) 3-6, 6-2, 6-3
No. 3 Morgan Carney (KSU) def. Emilia Milanovic (USC Upstate) 7-5, 6-3
No. 4 Simona Cacciattoto (USC Upstate) def. Mackenzie Swindall (KSU) 6-2, 6-1
No. 5 Cinthyia Lazaro (USC Upstate) def. Agatha Palider (KSU) 6-3, 6-1
No. 6 Therese Lagerkvist (KSU) def. Ana Sofia Camberos (USC Upstate) 6-4, 7-5
Order of Finish: 4, 5, 3, 1, 6, 2

Doubles
No. 1  Pezzotti/Valderrama (USC Upstate) def. Shkundina/Sergeychik (KSU) 8-0
No. 2 Holton/Carney (KSU) def. Carolina Bello/Camberos (USC Upstate) 8-4
No. 3 Milanovic/Cacciattoto(USC Upstate) def. Palider/Swindall (KSU) 8-2
Order of Finish: 1, 3, 2