The ETSU women’s tennis team took on Lipscomb University and brought a 4-0 win on the home courts on Feb. 22.
Coming off of a 3-4 loss against Middle Tennessee State University Feb. 16 took a slight toll on the team after fighting so hard for that match.
“We are working on finishing points really,” said head coach Ricardo Rojas. “I thought we played a good match, but I think we are a little passive in key situations. We are looking forward to getting better with that gap.”
Senior Andrea Pascual-Larrinaga (Basauri, Spain) said pressure is a big factor on play.
“We need to try to play better under pressure because sometimes we get a little bit tight,” she said.
For the singles, sophomore Laylo Bakhodirova (Tashkent, Uzbekistan) defeated junior Kate Popova 6-2, 6-2. Pascual defeated senior Denise Buberl 6-4, 6-1, and sophomore Yunuen Elizarraras (Cuernavaca, Mexico) defeated sophomore Maddox Bendy 6-1, 6-1.
“We have more experience this year,” said Rojas. “Last year we were a little bit young. I can see the growth in many areas such as leadership. I’ve seen progress, but we still need to work on something to get to where we want to be at the end of the season.”
For the doubles, Bakhodirova and junior Alejandra Morales (Santiago, Chile) beat Popova and Buberl 6-1. Pascual and sophomore Raquel Amaro (Caracas, Venezuela) defeated freshmen Emma Zakordoniec and Anja Trbeznik 6-2.
Pascual has a 6-2 record for singles as a senior.
“It’s been an honor to be a senior,” she said. “I am trying to be a leader or role model for the freshmen because they are new in this type of game. I am trying to lead them to accomplish what I am doing – winning matches.”
The team’s next game is a home game against USC Upstate on Feb. 25.
