ROME, Ga. — The App State tennis team defeated No. 3 seed Troy 4-2 on Friday to advance to the semifinals of the Sun Belt Championship. The Mountaineers will face Marshall in the next round Saturday, with match times to be determined due to weather.
Allegra Hodson completed a comeback at No. 4 to clinch the match for the Mountaineers (14-10). After dropping the opening set, Hodson won back-to-back sets to secure a 3-6, 6-1, 6-4 victory. In a final set featuring seven combined service breaks, Hodson broke at 4-4 to take the lead before holding serve to seal the win.
No. 14-ranked
Savannah Dada-Mascoll continued her dominant run at No. 1, earning her 22nd consecutive victory with a 6-4, 7-5 win over Troy's (12-8) Maria Guirguis, a 2025 All-Sun Belt Second Team honoree. Tied at 5-5 in the second set, Dada-Mascoll broke Guirguis' serve and won a deuce point in the final game to avoid a third set.
Ruby Broadbent also extended her winning streak to six matches, winning 6-3, 6-3 at No. 5.
How It Happened
App State secured the doubles point with victories at the No. 1 and No. 2 positions. The duo of
Naledi Manyube and
Taya Powell clinched the opening point with a 6-1 win. The freshmen team of
Sreenidhi Balaji and Hodson held a 5-3 lead when the point was decided.
Holding a 1-0 lead entering singles play, Broadbent finished first to put the Mountaineers ahead 2-0. Dada-Mascoll followed shortly after for the Mountaineers' second singles win, and third point of the day. Despite Mountaineer losses at No. 2 and No. 6, App State held a 3-2 advantage with the remaining two matches in third sets.
The Mountaineer freshmen ultimately helped secure the victory after Balaji won her opening set 6-0 before dropping the second. Trailing 5-2 in the deciding set, she rallied to tie the score at 5-5. As Balaji continued her battle, Hodson closed out her match on the next court to send App State to the semifinals.
Up Next
The Mountaineers will face the Marshall Thundering Herd in the semifinal round Saturday. Start times are pending due to inclement weather, still streaming on ESPN+.
Results:
(Doubles)
Ruby Broadbent/
Savannah Dada-Mascoll (APP) def. Valeriia Avdeeva/Maria Guirguis (TROY) | 6-1
Naledi Manyube/
Taya Powell (APP) def. Veena Nazar/Alexia Zarate (TROY) | 6-1
Sreenidhi Balaji/
Allegra Hodson (APP) vs. Hiba Heni/Leena Metwally (TROY) 5-3, unfinished
(Singles)
#14
Savannah Dada-Mascoll (APP) def. Maria Guirguis (TROY) | 6-4, 7-5
Valeriia Avdeeva (TROY) def.
Taya Powell (APP) | 6-3, 6-3
Leena Metwally (TROY) vs.
Sreenidhi Balaji (APP) | 0-6, 7-5, 6-5, unfinished
Allegra Hodson (APP) def. Alexia Zarate (TROY) | 3-6, 6-1, 6-4
Ruby Broadbent (APP) def. Hiba Heni (TROY) | 6-3, 6-3
Sama Hindawy (TROY) def.
Alexi Cleveland (APP) | 6-4, 6-2
