Junior Stella Ribaudo picked up a win over a Top-100 singles player, but the Navy women’s tennis team was unable to upset Alabama, as the Crimson Tide defeated the Midshipmen by a 6-1 score on Sunday morning at the Roberta Alison Baumgardner Tennis Facility in Tuscaloosa, Alabama.
Sunday’s result moves the Tide to 1-0 on the spring, while the Mids are now 0-2 in dual action.
Alabama jumped out to a quick lead thanks to its No. 2 doubles duo, Loudmilla Bencheikh and Ola Pitak getting, a 6-1 win over freshman Sia Chaudry and sophomore Parvathi Shanker while the Anne Marie Hiser/Klara Milicevic pairing beat Ribaudo and fellow junior Corinne Farid, 6-2, in the No. 3 spot, clinching the doubles point for the host Tide.
In singles action, Milicevic tallied a 6-4, 6-0 victory against Chaudry on the No. 5 court and Anna Parkhomenko beat sophomore Sylvia Eklund, 6-0, 6-3, in the No. 4 singles match to put Alabama on the verge of clinching. The Tide’s Pitak clinched the dual victory when she handed senior Casey Accola a 6-2, 6-1 defeat on the third singles court.
Finishing out singles play, Bencheiekh added a 6-3, 6-4 win over sophomore Emily Tannenbaum, Shanker was on the losing end of a 7-5, 6-4 decision against Ansley Cheshire, but the Mids ended the day with Ribaudo beating Petra Sedlackova, the No. 75 singles player in the Intercollegiate Tennis Association ranking, as Ribaudo used a 1-6, 6-3, 7-5 score to pull off the three-set upset.
This marks Ribaudo’s first career win against a ranked opponent.
Navy will now host Saint Francis (Pa.) and St. Bonaventure on Saturday, Jan. 21 in the Mids’ spring home opener at Brigade Sports Complex.
Alabama 6, Navy 1
Doubles Results
1 – Casey Accola/Emily Tannenbaum (NAVY) vs. Petra Sedlackova/Anna Parkhomenko (UA), 2-4 (unfinished)
2 – Loudmilla Bencheikh/Ola Pitak (UA) def. Sia Chaudry/Parvathi Shanker (NAVY), 6-1
3 – Anne Marie Hiser/Klara Milicevic (UA) def. Stella Ribaudo/Corinne Farid (NAVY), 6-2
Order of Finish: 2-3
Singles Results
1 – Loudmilla Bencheikh (UA) def. Emily Tannenbaum (NAVY), 6-3, 6-4
2 – Stella Ribaudo (NAVY) def. Petra Sedlackova (UA), 1-6, 6-3, 7-5
3 – Ola Pitak (UA) def. Casey Accola (NAVY), 6-2, 6-1
4 – Anna Parkhmenko (UA) def. Sylvia Eklund (NAVY), 6-0, 6-3
5 – Klara Milicevic (UA) def. Sia Chaudry (NAVY), 6-4, 6-0
6 – Ansley Cheshire (UA) def. Parvathi Shanker (NAVY), 7-5, 6-4
Order of Finish: 5-4-3-1-6-2