Lady Bisons Tennis Team suffers tough loss in Battle of the Boulevard

The Lady Bisons suffered a tough loss against Atlantic Sun rival, Belmont University, in the infamous Battle of the Boulevard on Tuesday, April 6. Although the final score says 5-2, the score does not accurately depict the match. The air is always thick when Lipscomb and Belmont compete head to head.  Tuesday was no exception when both teams stepped onto the courts at Belmont’s Davis Tennis Complex. At the start of the match, both teams held 0-9 conference records.  Needless to say, the teams were equally matched. As doubles play began, the Lady Bisons made a strong statement by taking an early lead over Belmont.  Lipscomb secured wins at both No. 1 and No. 2 doubles, allowing them to clinch the doubles point and capture a 1-0 lead over the Bruins. Freshman Mackenzie Bishop and sophomore Elizabeth Keevil downed Abby Leatherwood and Laura Stack by a score of 8-4 at the No. 1 spot. At the No. 2 position, junior Kara Jackson and sophomore Danielle Hansen overpowered Belmont’s Abigail Hogan and Natalia Nunes 8-2. Lipscomb’s lone doubles loss came at No. 3.  Junior Julianne McMeen and freshman Carlina Jow were defeated by Lindsay Bennett and Lauren Irick 8-1. With a confident 1-0 lead, the Lady Bisons entered into singles play. Evening the score to 1-1, Bishop came off court first for the Bisons at No. 1.  Facing Belmont’s A-Sun honoree for the 2008-2009 season, Bishop played a tight first set.  After taking a 3-0 lead, Bishop fell to 6-6.  Bishop lost in the first set tiebreaker 7-5.  Leatherwood upped her game in the second set, giving the Bruins the...

Men’s Tennis falls short 4-3 in Battle of the Boulevard

The Bisons faced Atlantic Sun rival, Belmont University, in the heated Battle of the Boulevard on Tuesday, April 6 at Belmont’s Davis Tennis Complex. As always, the tension rose as the two teams began the face off. The Bisons took an early lead when they clinched the doubles point, winning No. 1 and No. 3 doubles. Daniel Hangstefer and Joe McArdle secured a win at No. 1, defeating Renato Antun and Rafael Matos 8-6. The Bisons lost their only doubles match at the No. 2 spot.  Chad Pierron and Tanner Brown were defeated by Joao Paolielli and Filipe Cirne Lima 8-6. Mario Hernandez and Colby Shaw picked up another win at No. 3 to give the Bisons the doubles point.  The duo beat Belmont’s Bruno Silva and Jonathan Murrell in a close tiebreaker, prevailing 9-8. With the doubles point under their belt, the Bisons took a 1-0 over the Bruins. Hangstefer earned another win for the Bisons with his victory at No. 1 singles.  Hangstefer defeated Paolielli 6-7, 6-1, 6-2 in a three set battle. The Bruins fought back with a win at No. 2.  Pierron was defeated by the Belmont’s Antun 6-2, 6-3, bringing the match score to 2-1. The score was evened at 2-2 when Lipscomb fell at the No. 3 spot.  Hernandez fell to Amaral in a close three set match, losing 6-1, 4-6, 6-3. The Bisons battled back to take the lead once again, securing their third win at No. 4.  Shaw easily glided past Lima, defeating him 6-2, 6-4. Once again, Belmont matched Lipscomb, taking a win at No. 5 to even the match...

This Week in Sports, March 14-21

While many students took a break during the week, the athletic teams were very busy. During spring break week, the nationally ranked Lady Bison softball team traveled to Hawaii for the Spring Fling in Honolulu. The Lady Bisons opened up tournament play with a bang, defeating California by a score of 1-0. In that game, sophomore pitcher Whitney Kiihnl pitched seven scoreless innings for the win.  Mollie Mitchell drove in Kellie Sirus to give the Lady Bison’s their lone run for the game. California was ranked twelfth in the nation. After defeating California, the Lady Bisons lost four straight, losing two apiece to California and Hawaii. The Lady Bisons record as of now stands at 20-7.  The team returns to play on Friday, March 26, at Draper Diamond for a double header against ETSU.  Game times are 4 and 6 p.m. The tennis teams were also in action over the break.  The men’s team went 1-2 over the break defeating Florida Gulf Coast 4-3 and losing to Stetson and Georgia State. Winners for Lipscomb against FGCU were Daniel Hangstefer, Colby Shaw, and Tanner Brown in singles.  In doubles, Chad Perron and Tanner Brown along with Colby Shaw and Mario Hernandez brought home two wins for the Bisons. Their record is now 4-7 on the year. The Bisons return home on Tuesday to face Austin Peay University.  Matches begin at 2:30 p.m. On the women’s side, the ladies struggled going 0-4 against North Florida, Jacksonville, Florida A&M and FGCU. The Lady Bisons’ record now stands at 4-12. The team returns to play on the twenty-third to face APSU. The Bison...