Alcorn State women’s tennis played a doubleheader Saturday, facing Jackson State in the SWAC and Mississippi Valley State in a nonconference match. The Braves lost to Jackson State 4-0 in Jackson, Mississippi, then defeated MVSU 5-0 in Vicksburg.
Jackson State clinched the SWAC regular-season title with the win, winning the doubles point at the JSU Tennis Center. Helen Hernandez and Victoria Linkovski defeated Hana Bajramovic and Amelia Tatafu 6-1 at No. 1 doubles. Isabella Benavides and Paula Corbalan edged Katherine Grados and Natalija Nikolic 7-6 (7-4) at No. 2 doubles. Zoe Crimmel and Oihane Villanueva Lopez won at No. 3 doubles, 7-6 (7-5), to prevent a shutout.
In singles, Benavides dominated with a 6-0, 6-0 win over Crimmel. Hernandez added a 6-0, 6-2 victory over Nikolic, and Corbalan closed the match with a 6-1, 6-2 win over Tatafu. Three singles matches went unfinished as the outcome was decided. Jackson State improved to 12-10 overall and 8-0 in SWAC play, while Alcorn fell to 6-16 and 3-5 in conference.
Later that day in Vicksburg, Alcorn swept Mississippi Valley State 5-0. The Braves secured the doubles point with wins at No. 1 and No. 3 doubles, while No. 2 doubles was unfinished. In singles, Nikolic and Lopez each won 6-0, 6-0, and Matea Andelic also won 6-0, 6-0. Bajramovic earned a default victory after MVSU was unable to field a player at No. 6. Alcorn finished the season with a 7-17 record and earned the No. 6 seed in the upcoming SWAC tournament, set for next weekend in New Orleans.
The Braves will face No. 3 seed Alabama State on Friday, April 17, at 1 p.m. at City Park Tennis Center. Follow Alcorn State Sports on Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube for updates and behind-the-scenes content.
