Special Report to Blowing Rock News from GoASU. February 10, 2012. BOONE, N.C. – In the team’s second home match of the season, Appalachian State University women’s tennis earned its second home sweep as the Mountaineers topped Presbyterian, 7-0, at Yonahlossee Racquet Club on Friday.

Doubles pair Blakeley Bean (Alpharetta, Ga./South Forsyth) and Gabby Gabriel (Weddington, N.C./Providence Day) got off to the Apps’ hottest start, winning eight of nine games for an 8-1 victory at No. 3 doubles.

Mountaineers Gabriela Celi (Orlando, Fla./Lake Howell) and Gisela Fernandez (Guadalajara, Mexico/TEC Monterrey) clinched the doubles point with an 8-2 win in the No. 2 spot, and upperclassmen Ellie Linsell (Southampton, England/Cheam) and Jennifer Ansari (Greensboro, N.C./Walter Hines Page) completed the doubles sweep with an 8-4 triumph in the top slot.

Ansari continued to roll in singles, cruising to a 6-1, 6-0 win at No. 2. Minutes later, her pairs partner Linsell took a 6-4, 6-1 win at No. 1 to give the Apps a 3-0 lead.

Celi trailed 4-5 in her first set at No. 3 but won three straight games to take the set, 7-5. She carried that momentum into the second and won 6-2 to clinch the match victory for Appalachian.

In the bottom half, Kim-Lea Dinh (Maisons-Alfort, France/Lycée Eugène Delacroix) was last to step on the court but finished fourth among singles, coasting to a 6-0, 6-1 win at No. 6.

Gabriel was up 4-1 in her first set but faltered, yielding the only set of the day to Presbyterian, 4-6. The freshman regained her composure and earned a 6-2 win in the second set. In the super-tiebreak, she had no trouble and captured a 10-4 win to seal the match.

Sophomore Jessica Thaggard (Acworth, Ga./Etowah) closed out the action at No. 4 singles, and despite a narrow 7-6 (7-4) win in the first set, she comfortably closed out the second, 6-2, to complete the Appalachian State shutout.

The Mountaineers head to Blacksburg, Va. on Sat., Feb. 18 for their next match, a neutral-site showdown against Radford on the campus of Virginia Tech at 1:30 p.m.

Appalachian State 7, Presbyterian 0

Feb 10, 2012 at Boone, N.C. (Yonahlossee Racquet Club)

Singles competition

1. Ellie Linsell (ASU) def. OELKE, Paige (PC) 6-4, 6-1
2. Jennifer Ansari (ASU) def. RANSOM, Greer (PC) 6-1, 6-0
3. Gabriela Celi (ASU) def. CARUSO, Cara (PC) 7-5, 6-2
4. Jessica Thaggard (ASU) def. ALVES, Patricia (PC) 7-6 (7-4), 6-2
5. Gabby Gabriel (ASU) def. deLOACH, Caroline (PC) 4-6, 6-2, 1-0 (10-4)
6. Kim-Lea Dinh (ASU) def. LEAHY, Lucia (PC) 6-0, 6-1

Doubles competition

1. Ellie Linsell/Jennifer Ansari (ASU) def. OELKE, Paige/RANSOM, Greer (PC) 8-4
2. Gabriela Celi/Gisela Fernandez (ASU) def. CARUSO, Cara/ALVES, Patricia (PC) 8-2
3. Blakeley Bean/Gabby Gabriel (ASU) def. deLOACH, Caroline/KRAUSE, Lindsay (PC) 8-1

Match Notes

Presbyterian 1-3
Appalachian State 3-2
Order of finish: Doubles (3,2,1); Singles (2,1,3,6,5,4)
T-4:19 A-42

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