Feb. 22, 2009

Final Stats

ORANGEBURG, S.C. - Senior Anna Novo added the final jewel in the Upstate career record book trifecta on Sunday when she won her 64th career doubles match and helped lead the USC Upstate women's tennis team to a 5-2 win over the defending MEAC Champions, S.C. State.

Novo, who already holds the school's career singles wins record (79) and also holds the school's career combined wins mark (143), tied Diana Martinez (2004-08), for the lone school career record she didn't already hold.

Novo teamed with her teammate of two years and for 37 of her 64 doubles wins, sophomore Emilia Milovanovic, to down Daria Sekerina and Aniko Kiss, 8-3, at No. 1 doubles to start off the meet. Senior Daniela Lovera and freshman Cinthya Lazaro beat Fanni Fricska and Tatiana Varela, 8-4, at No. 3 to clinch the doubles point.

Novo added her 79th career singles win as she blanked Fricksa, 6-0, 6-0, at No. 1 to give the Spartans (4-1 overall) a 2-0 lead. Milovanovic added a 6-4, 1-6, retired win for the third point at No. 3 singles for Upstate and Lazaro added a 7-5, 7-5 win over Amy Chen to clinch the match with her win at No. 5.

Lovera added a dramatic, come-from-behind 1-6, 7-5, 6-2 win over Kiss at No. 4 to close out the Spartans' wins. Down 6-1, 5-3 and down 30-love in the second set, Lovera stormed back to win four straight games to win the second set and then dominated the third for the win.

S.C. State is now 2-2.

Upstate gets back to action on Friday when it travels to UNC Wilmington for a 3 p.m. match with the Colonial Athletic Association school.