Tennis opens season with double wins

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Tennis opens season with double wins
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The women’s tennis squad poses for a team photo after going undefeated on their opening weekend. The Chargers defeated Walsh on Saturday and Ashland on Sunday. (Photo: Corinne Prost / Courtesy)

Women’s tennis started its season with a boost of confidence after beating Walsh and Ashland universities this weekend.

Using the teamwork they developed over the past three weeks, the Chargers left Ohio with wins over Walsh 6-3 on Saturday and over Ashland 8-1 on Sunday. Although the first matches showed the athletes’ hard work paid off, they also helped identify each player’s areas for improvement, allowing them to set goals in preparation for another tough upcoming weekend, head coach Nikki Walbright said.

“They were good wins, but they weren’t easy,” Walbright said. “It was a team effort, and it’s a good way to start the season.”

Energized by their teammates’ support, freshmen Kamryn Matthews and Katie Bell started their collegiate careers strong, finishing undefeated, 4-0 each.

“They played fearless,” senior captain Jada Bissett said. “That really did a lot for our team mentality when they went out and crushed it.”

On Saturday, the team started warming up early in excitement, though the nerves were high in anticipation for the first match, Bell said.

“Personally, I was quite nervous. So overcoming that pressure and knowing that you were doing it for your team was important,” Bell said. “It was such a good feeling to overcome that.”

Walbright, however, said the anxiety didn’t show on the court.

Once across from their opponents, the freshmen said they clicked with their doubles partners and won their matches, encouraged by their partners’ experience. Bell and sophomore Corinne Prost won 8-1 at No. 2 doubles, and Matthews and Jada Bissett won 8-3 at No. 3.

“It was great putting on the Hillsdale uniform for the first time with all of our teammates right next to us and everyone just cheering everyone on the whole time,” Matthews said.

Hillsdale was ahead 2-1 after Walsh got the best of senior Dana Grace Buck and sophomore Halle Hyman in a 8-2 match at No. 1 doubles.

Although in the lead, the Chargers did not lose their focus entering into the singles contests, each winning the best two of three matches. Matthews, a state champion in high school, defeated her opponent 6-0 twice in a row at No. 6 singles.

Bell at No. 2 singles won in a hard-fought contest 7-5, 6-3. Likewise, so did Buck with 7-5, 6-2 at No. 4. Prost fought hard, pushing Walsh into a third set at No. 3 singles, but in the end lost 6-2, 2-6, 6-0. At No. 1 singles, Hyman also fell to Walsh 6-3, 6-1. Sophomore Madeline Bissett won 6-2, 6-4.

Entering in to Sunday, the team felt inspired from the win the day before. A moment of silence and prayer in remembrance of 9/11 brought the team together, Matthews said.

“Playing for Hillsdale gives us another advantage over teams,” Matthews said. “We’re not playing just for our school, we’re playing for something better.”

Their momentum continued with the doubles competitions resulting in a 2-1 lead for Hillsdale. Matthews and Bell teamed up at No. 3 doubles, defeating Ashland 8-1. At No. 1, Hyman and Prost won 8-1, and, at No. 2, Buck and sophomore Julia Formentin fell to Ashland 8-6.

Despite playing another tough team, the women swept through singles matches without dropping a single set. At No. 1, Hyman won with 6-4 on both sets. Bell defeated another freshman at No. 2 with 6-1 scores in both sets. Matthews took down a junior at No. 6 singles 6-0, 6-2. Sophomores Prost, Formentin, and Madeline Bissett all took wins, as well.

It’s the Chargers second consecutive year starting with a 2-0 record, and the team will face another difficult weekend against Tiffin and Findlay universities, Walbright said. Having the feel of matches, however, allowed players to identify their weak areas and set goals.

Jada Bissett said she is focusing on her return of serve “so it can be more of a weapon” because even with two wins, the rest of the season remains.

“You can never really stop fighting until you come out with the win,” Matthews said.