PENSACOLA, Fla. – The Valdosta State women’s tennis team outscored both the Christian Brothers Lady Bucs and the Mississippi College Lady Choctaws for a pair of Gulf South Conference wins in Pensacola, Fla. on Saturday.
The Lady Blazers improved to 13-5 overall and 8-1 in GSC play, while the Lady Bucs fell to 9-10 overall and 1-6 in league action and the Lady Choctaws saw their record fall to 9-7 overall, 4-3 against conference opponents.
Valdosta State used a strong start by Bea Morales Hernandez and Sabrina Schmidt at No. 1 doubles to take down CBU’s Rachel Farmer and Lauren Woog for an 8-4 win to start the day. At No. 2, Daniela Barta teamed up with Anja Cosovic to knock off Meg Mattis and Tara McElroy, 8-2, while Laura Ubeda and Estes Widdershoven defeated Darby Laschober and Brittany Weathersby, 8-0, at No. 3.
In singles action, Widdershoven and Taylor Vinge capped off the contest with wins over Mattis (6-1, 6-2) and Laschober (6-0, 6-2) at No. 5 and No. 6 to seal the victory.
In match two, Cosovic and Barta finished first at No. 2 doubles for an 8-2 win over AnneMarie Kimball and Anna Shuliak, before Ubeda joined Widdershoven at No. 3 for an 8-5 win over Christa Owen and Gonzalez-Carrera.
Working with a 3-0 advantage, Barta outlasted Shuliak at No. 5, 6-1, 6-0, before Ubeda closed out the match with a 6-1, 6-0 win over Kimball at No. 3.
Next up for Lady Blazer tennis, it’s a big non-conference matchup against the No. 7 ranked Columbus State Cougars on Wednesday at 2:00 p.m. The match is slated for a 2:00 p.m. start.
The Valdosta State men’s tennis team rolled on with two more Gulf South Conference wins against Christian Brothers (5-0) and Mississippi College (5-1) on Saturday in Pensacola, Fla.
The Blazers improved their winning streak to eight with the pair of victories and lifted their overall record to 12-4, while improving to 7-1 in GSC action. The Bucs fell to 7-12 overall and 0-8 in conference play, while Mississippi College fell to 8-7 overall and 4-2 in league action.
In the opening match against the Bucs, VSU dominated the contest from the outset and did not allow CBU to claim a single set in doubles action. Eden Peleg and Axel Holm, who currently hold a No. 12 ranking in doubles play, trounced Austin Essary and Nick Wiseman with an 8-0 victory at No. 1. Meanwhile, Fernando Rivas and Jordi Mas matched the effort with an 8-0 win of their own at No. 2 over Daniel D’Alto and Abel Kim. Finally, Leo Blay joined Xavier Pineda at No. 3 for another 8-0 victory over Max Wilson and Nick Cotros.
Needing just two more points to end the match, Mas outlasted D’Alto at No. 2 for a 6-1, 6-0 win, while Davis Stewart slammed the door at No. 5 with a 6-0, 6-0 win over Wilson.
Match two was more of the same for Valdosta State, although Mississippi College put up more of a fight. Holm and Peleg were upset by Joan Valy and Marcos Rocca, 8-3, at No. 1 doubles, but Rivas and Mas toppled Petar Damjanovic and Lucio Menezes, 8-5, at No. 2. In the final doubles contest, Blay and Pineda teamed up as the nation’s No. 24 ranked team for an 8-3 win over Sanders Barrick and Nilges on court three.
No. 12 Blay carried the momentum into singles action and took down Valy, 6-3, 6-0, before Mas blew by Menezes, 6-1, 6-2, at No. 2. Finally, No. 42 ranked Rivas scored a 6-1, 6-4 win over Trey Randall to conclude the day.
The Blazers’ next matchup will take place in Valdosta, Ga. on Wednesday, April 5th against No. 9 ranked Columbus State. The match is slated for a 2:00 p.m. start.
