CONWAY, Ark. – A strong start paved the way to a huge victory for Jacksonville State women's tennis in Sunday's ASUN Conference match at Central Arkansas. The Gamecocks collected a competitive doubles point before going on an impressive run in singles action in a 5-2 triumph.
 
"I'm very proud of how the girls handled this trip," head coach Mike Mucci said after the win. "After the seven-hour drive, we challenged them to just be tougher and make sure we competed through the hard moments. I think for the most part we did that and were able to play our best tennis enough to win fairly quickly. We're excited to be 1-0 in conference but know that we have another big weekend ahead."
 
After falling behind in doubles play with a loss on court three, consecutive wins by the tandems of Romane Mosse and Polina Ramenskaja (6-4) and Zuzana Pavelekova and Anna Syrova (7-5) handed the match's opening point to the Gamecocks (11-3). 
 
Singles competition started poorly for the hometown Sugar Bears (7-6). Jax State scored a pair of dominant two-set results from Pavelekova (6-3, 6-1) and Dariana Prato (6-1, 6-1) on courts six and five respectively to reach the verge of a match victory. Following a UCA win on court two, Syrova clinched the match with a 6-2, 6-2, triumph in the no. 3 singles flight. Serafima Shastova continued the tear that she's been on over the past month-and-a-half by tallying a 7-5, 6-3, decision on court one to close out the match. 
 
With the win, Shastova improves to 7-1 in singles action. The freshman from Stavropol, Russia, has not lost in one-on-one competition since Jan. 20 at Mississippi State. In addition, Prato and Syrova scored their fifth straight singles wins while Pavelekova moved to 9-2 in 2023. 
 
As for doubles, Pavelekova is now 5-0 with a partner and Syrova earned her team-leading 13^th triumph in two-on-two play on Sunday.
 
Jacksonville State resumes ASUN Conference play this weekend with a Friday matinee at Eastern Kentucky. That league test in Richmond, Ky., will start at 1 p.m. CST. They return home on Sunday to play host to in-state rival North Alabama. First serve of that match is slated for 1 p.m. at the JSU Tennis Courts. 
 
To stay up-to-date with the Gamecocks, follow their Twitter (@JaxStateTN), Instagram (@JaxStateWTennis), and Facebook (Jacksonville State University Tennis) accounts. 
 
Tennis Match Results
JSU vs UCA
3/12/2023 at Conway, Ark.
JSU 5, UCA 2
 
Singles Competition
 

1. Serafima Shastova (JSU) def. Jaeun Lee (UCA) 7-5, 6-3
2. Vichitraporn Vimuktananda (UCA) def. Romane Mosse (JSU) 6-1, 6-3
3. Anna Syrova (JSU) def. Summo Hamanaga (UCA) 6-2, 6-2
4. Nanoka Kazama (UCA) def. Polina Ramenskaja (JSU) 7-5, 6-1
5. Dariana Prato (JSU) def. Konomi Miyakawa (UCA) 6-1, 6-1
6. Zuzana Pavelekova (JSU) def. Ting-An Chen (UCA) 6-3, 6-1

Doubles Competition
 

1. Romane Mosse/Polina Ramenskaja (JSU) def. Nanoka Kazama/Vichitraporn Vimuktananda (UCA) 6-4
2. Zuzana Pavelekova/Anna Syrova (JSU) def. Summo Hamanaga/Konomi Miyakawa (UCA) 7-5
3. Jaeun Lee/Nicole Ross (UCA) def. Irene Artigas/Serafima Shastova (JSU) 6-2