SPRINGFIELD, Mo.— In their first-ever meeting as conference foes, 12^th ranked Southwest Baptist handed Drury a 5-2 loss at the Cooper Tennis Complex in Springfield on Saturday.
 
The Panthers fell to 6-3 and 0-1 in the Great Lakes Valley Conference, while the Bearcats went to 10-5 and 1-0 in the league.
 
Southwest Baptist took a 1-0 lead, winning two of the three doubles matches. Drury's Alma Abazi and Nastasia Jedrychowski won their match-up 6-4, but Southwest Baptist's number three team of Diana Cabrera and Lola Cincunegui defeated Maria De La Torre and Clara Kuehnle 6-3 to win the point for the Bearcats.
 
SBU won four of the six singles matches to get the win. Alma Abazi, competing as Drury's number two singles player, stayed unbeaten on the year with a 7-5, 6-2 win over Dona Abohabaga. Maria De La Torre went to 7-0 on the year with a 1-6, 7-6, 10-6 win over Lola Cincunegui.
 
Drury returns to the court on Friday when they travel to William Jewell for a 2 pm match in Liberty, Missouri.
 
Southwest Baptist 5, Drury 2
4/3/2021 at Springfield, MO
Singles competition
1. Cabrera,Diana (SBUWT) def. Jedrychowski,N. (DUWT) 6-1, 6-4
2. Abazi,A. (DUWT) def. Abohabaga,Dona (SBUWT) 7-5, 6-2
3. Crespo,Constanca (SBUWT) def. Zheleva,V. (DUWT) 6-4, 6-2
4. Zheng,Catarina (SBUWT) def. Eremina,K. (DUWT) 6-4, 6-4
5. Pascual,Elsa (SBUWT) def. Kuehnle,C. (DUWT) 6-3, 2-6, 10-7
6. De La Torre,M. (DUWT) def. Cincunegui,Lola (SBUWT) 1-6, 7-6, 10-6
 
Doubles competition
1. Abazi,A./Jedrychowski,N. (DUWT) def. Crespo,Constanca/Zheng,Catarina (SBUWT) 6-4
2. Abohabaga,Dona/Pascual,Elsa (SBUWT) def. Eremina,K./Zheleva,V. (DUWT) 6-3
3. Cabrera,Diana/Cincunegui,Lola (SBUWT) def. De La Torre,M./Kuehnle,C. (DUWT) 6-3
 
Match Notes
Southwest Baptist 10-5; National ranking #12
Drury Women 6-3
Order of finish: Doubles (2,1,3); Singles (3,2,1,4,5,6)
 
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