Senior Melanie Zampardo preps for a serve. Courtesy | Isabella Sheehan

The Hillsdale women’s tennis team split two regional matches this weekend,  losing on the road to Wayne State University 6-1 March 1 but defeating Saginaw Valley State University 4-3 at home March 2.    

“This weekend’s win against Saginaw Valley was great for the team since we lost last time we played them,” Junior Elizabeth McGivern said. “It was a tough match and a fight down to the end.” 

The Chargers lost all three doubles matches to Wayne State. Despite these early setbacks, junior Courtney Rittel earned Hillsdale’s only point in singles play. Rittel lost the first set,  claimed the second set and managed a super-tiebreak in the third, for a final score of 1-6, 6-4, 10-7.

“Courtney clinched the match for us at the end, which was amazing after she and Ane had clinched the doubles point earlier in the day,” McGivern said. 

In their Saturday match against Saginaw Valley, the Chargers’ success hinged on notching the doubles point. The No. 2 duo, Rittel and freshman Ane Dannhauser, emerged victorious in a 7-6 win against the Cardinals. This win, paired with a 6-2 victory from the No. 3 doubles team of McGivern and senior Helana Formentin, handed Hillsdale a vital 1-0 advantage early on.

Key victories in singles came from senior Melanie Zampardo at No. 2 singles with a 6-2, 2-6, 6-3 win, and McGivern who achieved a 6-3, 6-3 victory to complete an undefeated day.

“I was also pleased because I played the same opponent who I lost to last year but was able to come out on top this time,” Zampardo said.

At the No. 6 position, Rittel capped off the singles competitions with a 6-1, 6-0 triumph over her opponent, finishing the day with a perfect 2-0 record.

“Playing against Saginaw Valley this weekend was a great representation of how we’ve grown as a team within the last year,” senior Julia Wagner said. “This was the first team we played last year and we lost to them 3-4.”

Amid the day’s highlights, McGivern said that one teammate’s performance stood out to her, in particular.  

“Another teammate I wanted to praise is Jules who was in a lot of pain,” McGivern said. “She was the last match out there with Courtney, but she slowed down her play and fought through her injury to come back so that Courtney didn’t have to face the stress of playing alone with all the attention on her; it really played a key role in helping us win.”  

Hillsdale’s record now stands at 3-6 for the season. The team looks to build on these performances in matches against Nova Southeastern on March 11, and Palm Beach Atlantic on March 13 in Florida.