HOLLY SPRINGS, Miss. -
The Lyon College Pipers fought through the first two
rounds of the Rust College Tournament and then cruised
to the title, winning 23 straight matches en route to
the championship.
Lyon's Andrea Higginbottom was named Tournament MVP for
her performance. She was flawless during the weekend,
winning four No. 1 singles matches and four doubles
matches with her partner Eri Kasai.
The Pipers were tested early but passed both exams,
topping Stillman College 5-4 in the first round and then
edging Lane College 5-3. From that point on, the Pipers
were unstoppable, winning in a forfeit over the host
team and sweeping past two more teams en route to
semifinals and finals victory.
In the finals over LeMoyne-Owen College, Higginbottom
won 8-0 in a singles match and teamed with Kasai to win
in an 8-0 doubles walkover.
Kasai (8-4), Ran Tsurumaki (8-4) and Alison Sablick
(8-5) each triumphed in their respective singles matches
during finals play. Tsurumaki and Sablick combined to
win their doubles match 8-1 over LeMoyne-Owen's pairing.
