Feb. 22, 2009

HOUSTON, Texas - Junior Ashley Murdock picked up her eighth win in nine tries, but the Memphis women's tennis team fell to C-USA foe Houston on Sunday at the Hoff Tennis Courts. The Lady Tigers picked up two singles victories and one doubles victory on the day. Two other singles matches came down to a deciding third set. The Lady Tigers' record falls to 5-5 on the year. Despite the loss, Memphis is still off to their best start since the 2003 campaign. The Houston Cougars improve to 12-1 with the victory. Houston's only loss on the season came at the hands of No. 45 Oregon on Jan. 25. The Cougars have won 10-straight matches.

The match began with Houston winning two out of three matches to take the doubles point. At No. 1 singles, the tandem of Sarah Irvin and Murdock built on their early season success by defeating Lynley Wasson and Joanna Kacprzyk of Houston, 8-5. Murdock and Irvin improve to 7-2 on the season at No. 1 doubles. The loss is only the second of the season for Wasson and Kacprzyk. The duo moves to 7-2 on the year. At No. 2 doubles, Texas Tech transfer Laura Ring and Lucy Forward upended Kristin Chamberlain and Dara Toulch, 8-1. Chamberlain and Toulch are 3-5 as a duo this season.

At the No. 3 slot, Jordan McCombs and Vicky Simpson were victorious in an 8-5 decision over Marjorie Ondeck and Robyn Jones. Ondeck and Jones boast are 3-5 in doubles during the 2009 season.

In singles play, Murdock took down Kacprzyk, 7-6, 6-4, to move to 8-5 on the year. Kacprzyk falls to 7-4 on the year. During Murdock's last nine matches, she has picked up victories over opponents from Lipscomb, UT Martin, UAB, Samford, UT Arlington, Stephen F. Austin, No. 67 Mississippi State and Houston. Her only loss during the stretch came to Pavi Francis of SMU.

At No. 2 singles, Wasson defeated Irvin, 6-1, 6-4. Irvin has posted a record of 6-6 in her first season as a member of the Memphis women's tennis squad. In the No. 3 slot, Ondeck upended Lucy Forward, 6-2, 7-5. Ondeck evens up her season record at 6-6.

At No. 4 singles, Lindsey Wiseman battled back from a first frame setback to defeat Simpson in the second set, 6-1, forcing a deciding third set between the two opponents. Simpson escaped as the victor of the match and the third set, 6-4. Wiseman is 3-3 in singles so far this season.

At the No. 5 spot, Jones, a freshman from Baton Rouge, La., won her first set, 6-4, over Alix Young. Young came back to win the next two sets and take the match, 4-6, 6-3, 7-5. Jones is 5-7 in her freshman season.

At No. 6 singles, Amanda Brown fell to Neila Starratt, 7-5, 6-2. The Lady Tigers will face two SEC foes next week, with a Thursday match with Ole Miss at 2 p.m., in Oxford, Miss., and a Saturday bout with Arkansas at 1 p.m., in Fayetteville, Ark.