Hackman wins player of the week as Chargers stay undefeated in conference

Home Charger Tennis Hackman wins player of the week as Chargers stay undefeated in conference
Hackman wins player of the week as Chargers stay undefeated in conference

Crushing their opponent, the Hillsdale College women’s tennis team defeated Kentucky Wesleyan University 7-0 in a match on March 26.

Senior Sophia Spinazze said she was expecting the match to be fairly easy, since the Chargers had beaten Kentucky Wesleyan 7-0 before.

“I definitely remembered our past performance against them,” Spinazze said. “We also always know, though, that we have to and want to give our all in every match, especially during conference play.”

Coach Nikki Walbright said she thought the Chargers won through their persistence and precision.

“They hardly made any errors and were very positive,” Walbright said. “I was proud of them for being the more dominant team.”

Spinazze and junior Canela Luna won their doubles match 6-1 against Camron Blandford and Allie Mitchell.

“Canela and I were able to set each other up to poach at the net,” Spinazze said. “Each of us did a good job staying consistent at the baseline, and the net player was sure to be bold and go for volleys to try and end the point.”

Spinazze also won both of her singles sets 6-0. 

“Sophia has been super consistent and doing a really great job,” Walbright said.

Spinazze said she enjoyed watching Luna excel in her plays. 

“Canela won the point on her serve for an entire service game,” Spinazze said. “It is so wonderful to see her shots to be so solid, and it is really helpful to win free points because of having a strong serve.”

Other successes include senior Sarah Hackman and freshman Melanie Zampardo winning their doubles match 6-1, as well as Hackman winning her singles matches 6-1 6-0 and freshman Libby McGivern winning her singles match 6-0 6-0. Hackman was also named G-MAC Player of the Week.

Walbright said overall, the women did what she called “sticking to our game rather than matching the level of the other team.”

“They hardly double faulted,” Walbright said. “They hardly missed on returns. They were still able to hit with really good pace.”

Spinazze said the team’s recent successes have come as a result of putting in effort even when the match seems like an easy win.

“It is crucial to stay humble and know that every week will be a fight, but also to remain confident and know we can win any match,” Spinazze said. “We have also had a lot of energy from the moment we start warming up until the last person finishes, which is also crucial.”