JACKSONVILLE – Freshman Alba Roche clinched the match win for Jax State who hosted Murray State Saturday afternoon. The Gamecocks downed the Racers 5-2.
 
The Gamecocks opened the afternoon with a win in doubles. Aneka Patel teamed up with Polina Ramenskaja for a 6-4 triumph on court one over Murray's Yuna Kadowaki and Yu Kikawa. On court three, Sae Kaneko paired with Irene Artigas to defeat Valeria Chaikovskaia and Arden Dethridge 6-4 and give the Gamecocks the doubles point.
 
Emma Montagner and Roche were tied 4-4 with Barbora Hermanova and Sofia Issakova on court two when the match was abandoned thanks to Jax State claiming the point.
 
In singles, Ramenskaja lost her fist set on court one 6-3 before winning the second set 6-3. Ramenskaja eventually fell 6-4 in the third set. Kadowaki defeated Patel on court two to give the Racers their two points of the match. Patel lost 7-5, 6-4 to Kadowaki.
 
The winners in singles included Artigas who won 6-2, 6-1 on court three over Issakova, Kaneko who downed Hermanova 6-0, 6-1 on court six, and Montagner who won a three-set match against Kikawa on court four. Kikawa won the opening set 6-4, then Montagner responded with a 6-4 second set win. Montagner won a tightly contested third set 10-8.
 
On court five Roche battled Murray State's Bruna Melato. Roche clinched the match win for Jax State with back-to-back 6-2 wins in sets one and two.
 
The Gamecocks improved to 8-4 with the win.
 
Jax State heads to Tennessee State Sunday, March 8, for a 1:30 p.m. first-serve.
 
To follow the Gamecocks on the road this season, follow their Facebook (Jacksonville State Women's Tennis), Instagram (@JaxStateWTEN), and X (@JaxStateWTEN) accounts.