Feb. 26, 2016 Results
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SPRINGFIELD - Abbey Belote and Faty Khamissi won their second consecutive doubles match together, but the Missouri State women's tennis team fell 7-0 to Saint Louis Friday, Feb. 26, in its first match at Cooper Tennis Complex in over a month.
The Bears (2-10) are scheduled to play two matches in three days at Cooper Tennis Complex next weekend. Missouri State hosts Nebraska Omaha at 1 p.m. Friday, March 4, and takes on Southeast Missouri State at 11 a.m. Sunday, March 6.
MSU opened the dual Friday with three close doubles matches against Saint Louis (11-3). The Billikens took an early lead after a 6-4 win at the No. 2 slot, but the Bears' No. 3 tandem of Belote and Khamissi won 7-5 to even the doubles portion of the dual at 1-1.
The No. 1 doubles matchup went to a tiebreaker, with MSU's Ema Turudija and Miranda Poile taking a five-point lead. The Billikens' Eleonore and Verginie Tchakarova rallied to tie it 6-6 in the tiebreaker, and eventually clinched the doubles point for Saint Louis with an 8-6 finish.
MSU's Phoebe Boeschen was the lone Bear to compete in a third set. Her match at No. 6 singles versus Ally McKenzie went to a third-set match tiebreaker, but McKenzie was able to overcome Boeschen's early 3-0 lead to finish out the dual with a 10-6 match tiebreaker victory.
"It was definitely a competitive match," Bears head coach Mallory Weber said. "We fought hard, but I think that there were a lot of missed opportunities there that we have to do a better job of closing out. We shouldn't have lost the doubles point, (we) shouldn't have lost some of those singles matches so while it's great to be competitive, we have to do better."
Saint Louis' Aspen Cervin, Verginie Tchakarova and Madison Cook won in straight sets at Nos. 1, 3, and 4 singles. Anelisse Torrico Moreno forced a tiebreaker at No. 2 singles for the Bears, but eventually lost 6-3, 7-6 (3). Khamissi dropped just one service game in her first set to the Billikens' Kelsey King, before King defeated her 7-5, 6-2.
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