ELON, N.C. – Reaching the semifinals of the Southern Conference Tournament for the eighth straight season, the fifth-seeded Davidson women’s tennis team saw their year come to an end though, dropping a 4-1 decision to top-seeded Furman on Saturday morning at the Jimmy Powell Tennis Center.
Davidson concludes its 2009 campaign at an even 12-12, while Furman improved to 17-7. The Paladins will play College of Charleston in the championship match at 10 a.m. on Sunday. The Paladins have won five straight tournament championships, while the Cougars won the conference tournament in 2003.
The match started out very close as the doubles point turned out to be a battle to the end, with the No. 1 doubles spot determining the point. Furman’s Jessica Preeg and Susan Bitetti claimed an 8-4 win at No. 3 doubles over
Ali Gores and
Molly McDevitt. Davidson came right back behind the solid play of
Alison Rauh and
Lora Dushanova, who pulled out a 9-7 victory at No. 2 doubles. Rauh and Dushanova had to hold off a late rally, as they saw a 7-3 lead evaporate, but were able to pull out the victory.
The No. 1 doubles match was a back-and-forth affair. After
Michele Fanney and
Virginia Berry took an early 3-0 lead, Furman’s Laura Gioia and Monica Arguello surged back to claim a 5-4 advantage before taking an 8-6 decision.
Dushanova, in her final career match, got Davidson on the board with a straight set singles win at No. 6, but Furman netted singles wins at No. 1, 3 and 4 to seal the victory. Dushanova capped off her Wildcat career in winning fashion, closing with a four-match win streak in singles play and a 5-1 mark overall to give her 46 career singles wins.
Also playing in her final match was senior Fanney, who dropped a 6-1, 6-0 decision to SoCon Player of the Year Gioia at the No. 1 position. The senior finished her final campaign with 11 singles wins and 44 total for her career.