SAN MARCOS, Texas – The Texas State women's tennis team (2-4) came up short vs. the McNeese State Cowgirls (5-4) 4-3 at the Bobcat Tennis Complex. The loss marks the fourth consecutive for the Bobcats.  
 
The Cowgirls got off to a quick start as juniors Marija Mastilovic and Stella Carra defeated senior Joy Chia Ming Ming and sophomore Sofia Murcia-Rodriguez, 6-1 on line three. However, the Bobcats responded with a gutsy win on the top doubles court. After being down 3-0, senior Ana Perez and senior Julia Navajo-Melendez battled back to win six of the final seven points to take down senior Charoline Erlandsson and freshman Carlotta Romito, 6-4. Court No. 2 was a back-and-forth affair that saw sophomore Rishona Israel-Lewis and freshman Josefina Cassara fall 6-4 to senior Giovanna Fioretti and freshman Dalia Ahmed, as the Cowgirls escaped doubles play with a 1-0 match lead.
 
McNeese State took control in singles action beginning with a straight set victory for Ahmed over Murcia-Rodriguez, 6-4, 6-1 on court No. 6. Erlandsson follow her lead by knocking off Isreal-Lewis 6-3, 6-4 in the second singles flight, and Mastilovic clinched the match for McNeese State with a pair of 6-4 decisions over Navajo-Melendez on court No. 3.
 
The Bobcats would go on to win the final three singles flights. Perez took care of Fioretti (7-6, 7-5) on the top singles court to put TXST on the board, Chia Ming Ming won a tiebreaker over sophomore Sofia San Jose Moreno (6-7, 6-3, 11-9) on court No. 5, and Cassara went the distance vs. Romito on the No. 4 singles flight to pull off the come-from-behind victory, 2-6, 6-0, 6-4.
 
Up next for the Bobcats is a noon match on Feb. 17 vs. Stephen F. Austin at the Bobcat Tennis Complex.
 
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