Appalachian State women’s tennis captured a second conference win at Samford University on Sunday after outlasting the Bulldogs to a 4-3 decision.

The Mountaineers (9-2, 2-0 SoCon) began their SoCon slate on Friday when they sent Chattanooga Chattanooga away with a 4-2 victory, and continued the wins against the Bulldogs (6-5, 1-1 SoCon) on Sunday.
The conference matchup began at 10 a.m. (11 a.m. EST) as Samford swept doubles play and capitalized on an early lead. Ellie Linsell and Mackenzie LaSure dropped No. 1 singles in an 8-1 match to Kristin Lewis and Stephanie N’tcha. Jennifer Ansari and Clare Cox, who lost their third straight match, fell to Carita Moolman and Adri Lochner 8-4 in No. 2 singles, while Gabriela Celi and Brianna Armellino snapped a two-win streak in an 8-6 final at the No. 3 spot.
Moving to singles play, Appalachian took the first two matches of the afternoon. Linsell improved to 10-0 on the season with her victory over Lewis in No. 1 flight (7-5, 6-2), along with Cox who went three sets in No. 2 to defeat N’tcha (6-4, 6-2, 6-3). Samford managed to pull No. 3 singles when Moolman outlasted Armellino in a tiebreaker (7-6 (8-3), 6-3). The Black & Gold responded with a pair of wins from Ansari, who handed Emily Mallory a loss in three sets at No. 4 flight (6-2, 6-3, 6-1), and Thaggard who also went three sets to defeat AnnMarie Lyon (7-5, 6-2, 6-1). Samford rounded out the afternoon with a final win at No. 6 when Lochner handed Celi a loss (6-2, 6-3, 6-3), but it would not be enough as Appalachian grabbed the victory for its second-straight conference win.
Looking ahead, the Mountaineers will enjoy a ten-day break before heading out for a three-match road swing. First up, women’s tennis heads to Boiling Springs, N.C. to face Gardner-Webb on Wed., March 13.

Appalachian State 4, Samford University 3
Mar 03, 2013 at Birmingham, Ala. (Samford Tennis Center)
Singles competition
1. Ellie Linsell (APP) def. Kristin Lewis (SAM) 7-5, 6-2
2. Clare Cox (APP) def. Stephanie N'tcha (SAM) 6-4, 6-2, 6-3
3. Carita Moolman (SAM) def. Brianna Armellino (APP) 7-6 (8-3), 6-3
4. Jennifer Ansari (APP) def. Emily Mallory (SAM) 6-2, 6-3, 6-1
5. Jessica Thaggard (APP) def. AnnMarie Lyon (SAM) 7-5, 6-2, 6-1
6. Adri Lochner (SAM) def. Gabriela Celi (APP) 6-2, 6-3, 6-3

Doubles competition
1. Ellie Linsell/Mackenzie LaSure (APP) def. Kristin Lewis/Stephanie N'tcha (SAM) 8-1
2. Carita Moolman/Adri Lochner (SAM) def. Jennifer Ansari/Clare Cox (APP) 8-4
3. AnnMarie Lyon/Emily Mallory (SAM) def. Gabriela Celi/Brianna Armellino (APP) 8-6

Match Notes
Appalachian State 9-2
Samford Univeristy 6-5
T-5:28 A-82

Photo Courtesy: Jennifer Ansari, ASU Athletics