Bucs tennis tops Wofford, improves to 13-1

The now 13-1 women’s tennis team hosted Wofford College on March 16 in its second conference match of the season. The Bucs have had only one loss so far this season against No. 66 Winthrop on March 6.

The Bucs won on the road at Mercer on March 12 with a 4-3 win in the first conference game where the doubles players dominated the match, and the turnout was very similar in the match against Wofford.

The Bucs locked in 18 of the 21 possible points in doubles competition, making this match the 12^th of the last 14 they have won in the doubles matches.

“It was nice to get out there and get the job done and play to the standard we want to play at and come out with a victory,” coach Travis Sandlant said.

Ana Gerbasi (Caracas, Venezuela) sent the Bucs to victory over Wofford with her 6-1, 6-2 singles victory. Gerbasi, a senior, continues to shine in matches for the Bucs as this is her eighth singles match in a row she has come out on top.

Gerbasi and doubles partner Lyn Yee Choo (Kuching, Malaysia), also a senior, have been working together since their freshman year when they came to ETSU. They won their match together, 6-2, and individually clinched victories for the Bucs. Choo also successfully shut out her opponent in singles competition with a 6-0, 6-0 win.

“We know each other, and there’s really good communication between us, so it makes playing doubles easier,” Gerbasi said of her four-year partnership with Choo.

The pair have a confidence in each other that is unique to them alone, having remained in the very top levels of doubles competition since freshman year. They have competed in tough regional competitions, and it continues to further their connection on the court.

These partners and the rest of the Bucs shut out Wofford 7-0, advancing to 2-0 in conference play.

Sandlant knows that each match from here on out is going to be tougher, but he plans on his team sticking to what they know and preparing to discipline themselves in practice and all other conference matches.

The Bucs have five more conference matches until the SoCon Tournament, and as a senior, Gerbasi wants to focus on the team as a whole so they can perform to best of their ability.

“Winning these kind of matches are going to help us have the confidence to win bigger matches later,” Gerbasi said.