FORT MYERS, Fla. – For the second time in nearly a week, Lipscomb University and Eastern Kentucky University played on the tennis courts. The Bisons, who blanked the Colonels on Senior Day last Friday at home, decided to do it again in the quarterfinals of the Atlantic Sun Conference Tournament on Thursday.
Lipscomb, the two-seed in the field of nine, posted a 4-0 shutout of EKU from the FGCU Tennis Complex.
Final Score: (2) Lipscomb 4, (7) Eastern Kentucky 0
Location: Fort Myers, Florida (FGCU Tennis Complex)
Records: Lipscomb (14-6), Eastern Kentucky (10-15)
HOW IT HAPPENED
Similar to last week, EKU won the first doubles flight, taking court number three. However, Sofia Paladi and Deborah Domiguez Collado (19-3) won their 10th straight dual match with a 6-0 shutout of Zhansaya Bakytzhan and Sasha Parkhomenko, forcing the team point to the top flight.
On court one, despite a lineup change by the Colonels between then and Thursday's quarterfinal match, it did not phase Serafima Bobrovnkova and
Mariia Dolzhenko (8-2), as they picked up their fifth straight win with a 6-3 result over Masha Fedenko / Ceylin Ipek to give the Bisons the 1-0 lead.
As the action moved to singles, Dolzhenko (22-9) picked up her 13th win of the spring with a 6-3, 6-0 rout of Sasha Parkhomenko on court two to make it a 2-0 lead.
After
Sofiia Zhylchuk (16-6) earned her eighth straight dub at the sixth flight after her opponent had to retire after the first set, Paladi (17-11) clinched the match for the second straight time with a 6-2, 6-4 victory over Fedenko to send the Bisons to the semis.
HERD NOTES
The Bisons picked up their eighth straight win, setting a new program record since the 2005-06 season. Lipscomb had a seven-match win streak from Feb. 7 to March 5, 2016.
Lipscomb, appearing in its 17th ASUN Tournament since the Bisons started in the league in 2004, will make its eighth semifinal appearance on Friday.
UP NEXT
The Bisons will await the winner of Florida Gulf Coast and Stetson, who play later on Thursday afternoon. The semifinal matchup will take place on Friday evening at 5 p.m. EDT from Fort Myers.
