HARRISONBURG, Va. –
Cate Broerman was celebrated prior to the opening serve and shined on Senior Day, going 2-0 between singles and doubles, but Georgia Southern used the doubles point and a singles split to down the Dukes, 4-3, on Sunday in Sun Belt Conference women's tennis action at Hillside Courts.
The Eagles moved to 17-4 on the year and 6-3 in Sun Belt play while the Dukes fell for the fourth straight outing, dropping to 8-11 overall and 4-5 in league matches.
Broerman first teamed with
Alexandra Prudente for a 6-3 doubles victory on court two, before turning in a dominant singles performance on court three, where she registered a 6-1, 6-2 win against Mackenzie Leopold.
After dropping the doubles point, JMU found itself down 2-0, but wins by Broerman and
Hope Moulin made it a 3-2 match. The final two bouts would be contested in a third set, and while
Ines Oliveira earned her triumph on court two, Southern would get the clinching point on court five to take the win.
It's the second straight season GS has beaten JMU 4-3, joining its 2023 bout in Statesboro, Ga. JMU still leads the Eagles 5-4 all-time having won five of the first seven meetings between 1979 and 1985.
HOW IT HAPPENED
Doubles Play
- GS gained the early advantage with victories on courts one and three.
- The team of Lindsay Tulenko and Paula Hijos took control early for a 6-2 win against Reka Matko and Moulin on court three.
- JMU evened it up on court two, as Broerman and Alexandra Prudente ran away with a 6-3 triumph over Sophie Wagemaker and Leopold.
- The Eagles secured the doubles point and 1-0 lead with a 6-2 win for Ninon Martinache and Sonja Keranan over Oliveira and Daria Munteanu.
Singles Play
- Southern doubled the lead to 2-0 on court one, as Martinache continued her strong spring with a 6-1, 6-1 win against Munteanu.
- Broerman capped off her home career with a 6-1, 6-2 victory against Leopold, as she began her first set up 5-0 and won the final five games of set two.
- Georgia Southern upped the advantage to 3-1, as Keranen downed Prudente, 6-3, 6-2, on court six.
- Moulin kept JMU in the match, as she pulled away in the second for a 6-3, 6-2 victory versus Nanaka Kijima.
- With the final two matches in third sets, GS got the clinching point on court five, where Hijos won consecutive games while up 4-3 to defeat Matko, 6-0, 5-7, 6-3.
- Minutes later, Oliveira completed her comeback on court two, as she conceded five total games over the final two sets for a 5-7, 6-2, 6-3 win against Tulenko.
UP NEXT
JMU closes the regular season on Saturday, April 20 with a trip to Huntington, W.Va., to take on Marshall. The opening serve is set for 10 a.m. at the Brian David Fox Tennis Center.