The women’s tennis team bounced back from a 6-1 conference loss to Central Florida Saturday by blanking Rollins College, 7-0.
The Owls dominated for much of the day, winning all of their matches in straight sets.
In singles, freshmen Monet Stuckey-Willis (6-3, 6-1) and Yana Khon (6-0, 6-0) won easily. The Owls also added singles points from sophomore Mariana Bedon (6-1, 6-2) and senior Rebecca Breland (6-2, 6-0).
“We played well,” coach Steve Mauro said. “Yesterday’s match against UCF was tough because of the hot weather that we are not accustomed to. Everyone played solid and I was happy with how they bounced back. That shows a lot character.”
Mauro said that he was especially happy with Khon, who had a tough match Saturday against UCF.
“I was on Yana’s court a lot today,” Mauro said. “She didn’t do anything fancy or extravagant. She made her opponent work with good returns. I was happy with how she performed outside. I believe she is a good outdoor player because of how she can frustrate her opponents with strong volleys.”
Each time the Owls have lost to a conference opponent, they have rebounded with a strong performance in the next match.
In doubles, the combinations of freshman Alina Abdurakhimova and sophomore Dina Karina won easily with a score of 6-2, and the duo of junior Minami Okajima and sophomore Anais Nussaume won with a score of 6-4. With these strong performances, the Owls were able to secure the doubles point.
The Owls have played the majority of their matches on the road this season, and Mauro is already looking ahead to their next conference match on March 28 against Connecticut.
“We are going to start playing a lot more outdoors,” Mauro said. “The teams we have played are used to the outdoor weather, which we are not used to. These types of matches we had were all on the road. We are gearing up for our conference match against Connecticut next Saturday. I am looking forward to that match.”
Dalton Balthaser can be reached at dalton.balthaser@temple.edu or on Twitter @DaltonBalthaser.
Be the first to comment