UTM TENNIS FALLS TO UAB IN PART ONE OF TWO-GAME ALABAMA ROAD SWING

Saturday, February 12

Birmingham, Ala.

12 p.m.

UT Martin

UAB

UTM TENNIS FALLS TO UAB IN PART ONE OF TWO-GAME ALABAMA ROAD SWING

2/12/2022 6:33:00 PM | Tennis

BOX SCORE

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – Officially halfway through the team's eight-game season-opening sequence of matches away from home, the University of Tennessee at Martin tennis squad saw a 7-0 setback at the hands of the scorching UAB Blazers on Saturday afternoon, unable to pick up a single individual or doubles victory despite one unfinished series that was teetering either way.

Decidedly winning their fourth consecutive match – having also defeated Samford, Central Arkansas, and Chattanooga in short order approaching the weekend – the Blazers put the Skyhawks away early with a pair of tag-team wins by combined scores of 12-4. Amelia Campbell and Aziza Aubin came the closest to a duos W by sitting at a 4-4 stalemate with Alexandra Da Silva and Vanessa Mellynchuk, although that series was forced to prematurely end due to the first two doubles sets tipping in UAB's favor.

Of the six Skyhawk losses in one-on-one action, only one tipped into a three-set battle, as Mizuki Sakurai pushed Annalisa Smith to the limit thanks to a 6-3 win in the second go-around. However, the Blazer sophomore outdid the UTM senior 10-3 in the final rally to cement the 7-0 overall win for the home unit.

Campbell, Aubin, Lia Espinal, Sina Albersmeier, and Jule Streif all fell in 2-0 fashion across their respective singles matchups, with the latter two narrowly dropping a 7-5 decision on the way out. Additionally, Espinal's 7-6 opening-set loss to Maggie White prevented the UT Martin freshman from scooping up a would-be third individual win of the early season.

UAB's lopsided finish comes off a 6-1 win over the Skyhawks in 2021 and a 4-0 triumph the year before that. Dating back to last spring, the navy and orange have emerged on the losing end of 20 straight non-conference meetings.

Of the four dates thus far to have concluded for UTM, three of them have been against Conference-USA opponents, falling to Western Kentucky, Middle Tennessee, and the Blazers by a cumulative margin of 17-1.

Another quick turnaround awaits UT Martin tomorrow afternoon to polish off the weekend slate, traveling to Samford on Sunday for a 1:00 p.m. start time. The Bulldogs entered the weekend at 2-3 before facing WKU today, having bested the Skyhawks last February by a 6-1 clip in Birmingham.