Junior Maria Herrera won her 80th career match (singles and doubles) to become the eighth player in program history to reach the mark.

Feb. 24, 2008

SPARTANBURG, S.C. - Junior Maria Herrera (Buenos Aires, Argentina) became the eighth player in school history to reach 80 career wins in singles and doubles play combined with her win at No. 6 singles on Sunday afternoon, helping the USC Upstate women's tennis team to a 5-2 win over Georgia Southern at the USC Upstate Tennis Complex.

The Spartan win snapped a three-match winning streak for the Eagles (3-3), who won all three matches against Atlantic Sun foes, downing Kennesaw State, Mercer and Gardner-Webb. Upstate improves to 5-1, having won five matches in a row, after dropping their season-opener to the Southern Conference's Davidson.

Herrera won her 37th career singles match with a 7-6 (4), 7-5 win over Jessica Fuller, to go along with her 43 doubles wins to reach the mark. She joins fellow teammates seniors Diana Martinez (Medellin, Colombia/Nuestra Senora del Rosario) and Susana Hernandez (Cali, Colombia/Colegio Americano) and junior Anna Novo (Caracas, Venezuela/El Angel) in the 80-win club.

The Spartans lost the doubles point for just the second time this season, with only Novo and freshman partner Emilia Milovanovic (Paris, France/CNED) taking a match, as they handled Kristi Kegerreis and Christine Caforio, 8-1, at No. 2 doubles.

The Spartans then were able to control the singles portion of the match, winning five of the six slots. Novo led the way with a 6-2, 6-1 win over Kegerreis at No. 1 singles and junior Daniela Lovera (Caracas, Venezuela/Santa Rosa Lima) added a 6-1, 6-3 win over Shea Huxtable at No. 5 singles to give the Spartans the lead. Hernandez followed with a 6-3, 6-2 win over Melanie Rolle at No. 2 singles before a loss at No. 3 singles made it 3-2.

However, Herrera's win at No. 6 singles clinched the match for Upstate and at No. 4, Martinez wrapped up the Spartan win with a three-set win over Molly Maddox, 7-6 (6), 3-6, 6-2, coming back after a second-set loss to win the match.

Upstate now gets set for its first Atlantic Sun Conference match as it hosts Mercer on Friday at 2 p.m. at the USC Upstate Tennis Complex.

Women's Tennis Match Results
USC Upstate 5, Georgia Southern 2
 Singles competition 
1. Anna Novo (UPST) def. Kristi Kegerreis (GSU) 6-2, 6-1
2. Susana Hernandez (UPST) def. Melanie Rolle (GSU) 6-3, 6-2
3. Ali Beavers (GSU) def. Emilia Milovanovic (UPST) 6-2, 7-6 (7-2)
4. Diana Martinez (UPST) def. Molly Maddox (GSU) 7-6 (8-6), 3-6, 6-2
5. Daniela Lovera (UPST) def. Shea Huxtable (GSU) 6-1, 6-3
6. Maria Herrera (UPST) def. Jessica Fuller (GSU) 7-6 (7-4), 7-5
 Doubles competition 
1. Anna Novo/Emilia Milovanovic (UPST) def. Kristi Kegerreis/Christine Caforio
(GSU) 8-1
2. Ali Beavers/Melanie Rolle (GSU) def. Susana Hernandez/Daniela Lovera (UPST)
9-8 (7-5)
3. Jessica Matlosz/Emma Knight (GSU) def. Maria Herrera/Diana Martinez (UPST) 8-4
Match Notes:
Georgia Southern 3-4
USC Upstate 5-1
A-52