App State Tennis Falls Short to South Alabama 4-3 in Home Conference Opener

BOONE, N.C. – The App State tennis team narrowly fell 4-3 to South Alabama in their first home conference matchup of the season.
 
What Happened
The Mountaineers (7-5, 1-2 SBC) were down 1-0 early in doubles after an injury to Isabela Romanichen forced them to forfeit one match. However, Naledi Manyube and Olwyn Ryan-Bovey kept App State in striking distance, winning 6-2 from the No. 2 spot. South Alabama (10-2, 3-0 SBC) took the doubles point and carried a one-point advantage into singles play, where they defeated Ruby Broadbent and Taya Powell 6-4.
 
Alexi Cleveland helped get the Mountaineers back on track in singles, securing a 6-3, 6-1 victory to improve to 6-3 on the season and 2-0 in SBC play. However, Dada-Mascoll suffered her second loss of the season, falling 4-6, 4-6 from the No. 1 spot.
 
Manyube, who moved up to No. 2 due to Romanichen's injury, kept her hot streak going with a dominant 6-0, 7-6 victory. Despite strong performances from Cleveland, Manyube, and a hard-fought win by Ryan-Bovey, the Mountaineers ultimately fell short. A loss by Broadbent in the No. 6 position sealed the victory for the Jaguars.
 
Up Next
The Mountaineers will stay in the High Country to continue Sun Belt Conference play against Southern Miss, with the match scheduled to begin at 10 a.m.
 
The 2024-2025 season is presented by Hound Ears Club.
 
South Alabama 4, App State 3
 
Results:
(Doubles)
Delien Kleinhans/Rio Maeda (USA) def. Savannah Dada-Mascoll/Isabela Romanichen (APP) | By forfeit
Olwyn Ryan-Bovey/Naledi Manyube (APP) def. Chems Doha Zeghlouli/Kenza Elakili (USA) | 6-2
Lara van der Merwe/Manal Ennaciri (USA) def. Taya Powell/Ruby Broadbent (APP) | 6-4
 
(Singles)
Delien Kleinhans (USA) def. Savannah Dada-Mascoll (APP) | 6-4, 6-4
Naledi Manyube (APP) def. Rio Maeda (USA) | 6-0, 7-6
Chems Doha Zeghlouli (USA) def. Taya Powell (APP) | 6-4, 6-2
Olwyn Ryan-Bovey (APP) def. Jade Marie (USA) | 7-6 (7-3), 7-6
Alexi Cleveland (APP) def. Kenza Elakili (USA) | 6-3, 6-1
Lara van der Merwe (USA) def. Ruby Broadbent (APP) | 4-6, 6-2, 6-3