Harding Women's Tennis Wins Regular-Season Finale 8-1 over Tech

NORTH LITTLE ROCK, Ark. – With rain in Searcy all morning, Harding women's tennis moved its final match of the regular season and its final Great American Conference match to Burns Parks' indoor courts.

The move worked out just fine for the Lady Bisons, who swept singles and cruised to an 8-1 victory over Arkansas Tech.

With the win, Harding improved to 14-6 overall and 4-2 in conference matches and clinched the No. 2 seed in this weekend's GAC Tournament in Bentonville, Ark. Arkansas Tech, the No. 10-ranked team in the Central Region by the ITA, fell to 15-7 overall and 3-3 in GAC matches. Tech will be the No. 3 seed in the tournament and take on No. 6 seed Ouachita Baptist in the first round.

Harding will play the winner of the Arkansas Tech-Ouachita Baptist match in the semifinals.

Harding opened the Tech match Monday with two victories in the three doubles matches. The Lady Bisons' No. 1 team of Piper Huey and Laura Golubic won 8-5 for their 12th victory in their last 13 matches.

Huey and Golubic improved to 20-5 in doubles matches this season, becoming the first Harding doubles team to win 20 matches in a season since Milena Chisaca and Harding Hall of Famer Alicia Williams won 21 in 2006.

Harding's second doubles point came at No. 3, where junior Brittany Smyser and senior Arielle Butler combined to win 8-4. The duo is 5-1 this season.

With two doubles wins, Harding needed three singles victories to clinch the match. Those three wins all came in straight sets.

Golubic continued her blazing stretch by winning her seventh consecutive match, 6-2, 6-2 at No. 2. She has won 14 consecutive sets and is 15-7 in singles matches this season.

Huey defeated her fourth regionally ranked opponent of the season, defeating Macarena Acosta, ranked 10th in Central Region singles, 6-3, 6-3 to give Harding a 4-1 lead. It was Huey's 66th career singles victory, tying her with Beatriz Arvizu (1992-96) for ninth in career wins at Harding.

The fifth and clinching point came from Butler, who won her team-leading 19th match of the season 6-4, 6-4 at No. 5.

For good measure, Harding won the three remaining matches as well. Gabriella Alves (No. 3) and Brittany Smyser (No. 4) won in third-set tiebreakers, and Emily Faulkner (No. 6) also won in three sets.

Tennis Match Results
Arkansas Tech vs Harding
Apr 17, 2017 at North Little Rock, Ark.
(Burns Park)

Harding 8, Arkansas Tech 1

Singles competition
1. Piper Huey (HU) def. Macarena Acosta (ATU) 6-3, 6-3
2. Laura Golubic (HU) def. Alejandra Sanchez (ATU) 6-2, 6-2
3. Gabriella Alves (HU) def. Kami Ward (ATU) 6-7, 6-3, 10-7
4. Brittany Smyser (HU) def. Annabel Rowlands (ATU) 2-6, 7-6, 10-6
5. Arielle Butler (HU) def. Haeleigh Long (ATU) 6-4, 6-4
6. Emily Faulkner (HU) def. Maria Vlaskina (ATU) 3-6, 6-3, 6-4

Doubles competition
1. Piper Huey/Laura Golubic (HU) def. Macarena Acosta/Alejandra Sanchez (ATU) 8-5
2. Kami Ward/Annabel Rowlands (ATU) def. Gabriella Alves/Milou Dalmolen (HU) 8-5
3. Brittany Smyser/Arielle Butler (HU) def. Haeleigh Long/Vandella Suico (ATU) 8-4

Match Notes:
Arkansas Tech 15-7, 3-3 GAC; Regional ranking #10
Harding 14-6, 4-2 GAC
Order of finish: Doubles (1,3,2); Singles (2,1,5,3,6,4)

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Players Mentioned

Gabriella Alves: Junior

Arielle Butler: Senior

Emily Faulkner: Junior

Laura Golubic: Junior

Piper Huey: Senior

Brittany Smyser: Junior

Milou Dalmolen: 5' 4"; Freshman

Players Mentioned

Gabriella Alves
: Junior

Arielle Butler
: Senior

Emily Faulkner
: Junior

Laura Golubic
: Junior

Piper Huey
: Senior

Brittany Smyser
: Junior

Milou Dalmolen
: 5' 4"; Freshman