NASHVILLE, Tenn. – The Jacksonville State women's tennis team fell 4-2 to Eastern Illinois on Friday in the first round of the Ohio Valley Conference Championships at the Centennial Sportsplex, bringing an end to the Gamecocks' season.
 
JSU (13-5) dropped the doubles point in three sets and was eliminated from competition with a heartbreaking three-set loss at No. 5, falling in four of the five finished singles matchups.
 
Alba Conejero and Malin Buechner won their doubles set 5-2, but back-to-back losses and No. 3 and No. 1 gave the Panthers the first point of the evening.
 
Conejero picked up an individual win on No. 6 with consecutive 6-2 set victories to tie the match 1-1, but it would be the closest Jacksonville State came to claiming a lead. EIU won consecutive singles matches at No. 2 and No. 3 to go ahead 3-1 with three matches still in play.
 
Senior Genevie Ulanday pulle JSU within one point with a three-set win at No. 1 (6-1, 2-6, 6-4), but EIU secured the match point with a victory on No. 5. Following a hard-fought battle, sophomore Diana Monsalve fell in three sets to Emily Pagachevsky (6-4, 2-6, 6-3). Elena Tendero's match at No. 4 went unfinished.
 
The Gamecocks end the year with a 13-5 overall record and 6-3 conference mark. The program turned a complete 180 in 2018, posting a remarkable turnaround just one season after finishing the 2017 campaign with a 4-17 overall record and no OVC wins.

 
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