A fresh snowfall made for a pretty scene on Sunday, Feb. 5 around the ETSU campus. Inside the Mini-Dome, however, the women’s tennis team heated things up.
Alabama A&M out of Huntsville, Al., only traveled with five players so they had to forfeit one of the doubles tennis match-ups.
A&M’s top team was comprised of Charlene Tsangawrne and Batsirai Bvunzawabaya both from Zimbabwe. They have played together since the age 11 and were well-composed on the court. The talented tandem would not pose much of a threat for ETSU’s number one doubles team of Sandie Knight and Masha Ilina. Knight and Ilina won 8-3.
In singles action A&M would take ETSU freshman Tara Byrne to a tiebreaker. Byrne would pull out the victory (5-7, 6-0, 10-3).
Senior Sylwia Ziolkowska played the No. 1 spot against Alabama. Ziolkowska won a solid match (6-2, 7-5). Elena Volobueva, Vita Moskaliova and Knight would also win their singles matches to give ETSU a 7-0 overall victory over the Lady Bulldogs of A&M.
Inter-conference rivals Kennesaw would be the next target in Sunday’s double header for the Lady Bucs. The same final outcome would occur as in the earlier affair.
Olya Batsula and Byrne played in the number one slot for doubles competition. Batsula was finding the crosscourt angles well and the ETSU duo went on to defeat Paula Takara and Giselle Nakakura 8-0.
The other doubles teams came through against the Atlanta based Kennesaw to give the Lady Bucs the win in the team column.
In singles action Knight and Ziolkowska went without a blemish. They won both their matches (6-0, 6-0).
Kennesaw’s Paula Takara played one of the longest matches of the day against ETSU’s Masha Ilina. Ilina, a junior, won the bout (6-1, 6-4) and is on track to break into the top five win list in ETSU women’s tennis history.
Sophomores Volobueva, Batsula, and freshman Moskaliova also won their singles matches to give the lady Bucs the 7-0 victory over Kennesaw.
Head coach Steve Brooks was pleased to have both matches back to back. “Doubles were better the second time around and that should make us tougher as the season progresses,” said Brooks.
The ladies will be back in action Sunday, Feb. 12 in Memorial Center.

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