Coker Takes 5-4 Victory From UNCP In Season Home Opener

PEMBROKE – Newcomers Shelby Bickel and Monica Espitia along with Madeline DiNunzio posted victories in singles competition for the Lady Braves on Wednesday afternoon despite the 5-4 loss to Coker. 

UNCP (1-1) also clinched a victory in third singles with teammates DiNunzio and Espitia defeating opponents 8-3. The Lady Cobras (2-2) snapped a four-game winning streak against the Lady Braves making the series record 11-5 overall. 

In No. 4 singles, Bickel took an easy 6-1, 6-0 two-set victory over Faith Baxley, while Espitia captured her win over Brittanny Yando with scores of 6-1, 6-1. DiNunzio defeated Kayla Meermans in set one with a score of 6-3 and pulled a 7-5 victory in set two to clinch the victory in No. 5 singles. 

Mia Winterbottom was defeated in No. 1 singles 6-3, 6-4, along with Leigh-Anne McAfee in No. 2 singles with scores of 6-1, 6-1. Hannah Herlocker competed in a tight set-one rally but fell 7-5 and in set two fell 6-1 to end the match.

Winterbottom and Herlocker were defeated in No. 1 doubles 8-3, while McAfee and Bickel suffered an 8-6 loss despite putting up the effort. 

"It was another 5-4 match, unfortunately this time we came out on the losing end of it.," UNCP head coach Robin Langley stated. "Overall we kind of came out flat, we played well in our first match on the court but we kind of had a long time before our next match."

The Lady Braves will return to action on Saturday when they travel to Milledgeville, Ga., to take on the Lady Bobcats of Georgia College (1-0). Match time has been set for 10 a.m.