The ETSU women’s tennis team kicked off their first tournament of the 2020 fall season Oct. 2 and 3 at the Mercer Gridiron Classic. 

(Contributed/ ETSU)

After the two-day tournament, the Bucs walked away with a singles record of 13-5 and a doubles record of 8-1. 

“We are very thankful that we got the opportunity to play, we haven’t played in six months or so, “said head coach Ricardo Rojas. “Most importantly, we are just happy to be out there and be able to play. We had some strong outings and we kind of saw where we are and where we need to be.” 

The team’s only senior, Andrea Pascual-Larrinaga (Basauri, Spain), brought in two singles wins on day one with a (7-5, 6-3) win against Middle Tennessee State University graduate student Lidia Burrows (West Yorkshire, England) and a (6-4, 7-5) win against University of Tennessee at Chattanooga freshman Jessie Young (Canton, Georgia). On day two, Pascual-Larrinaga also defeated Mercer freshman Lekha Varudandi (Coral Springs, Florida) with a score of (4-6, 6-4, 6-2). 

“It feels so great to play and win,” said Pascual-Larrinaga. “For me, I’m very grateful to be able to win for ETSU.”  

Also on day one, Pascual-Larrinaga brought in a doubles win with her partner, sophomore Maria Fernanda Carvajal (Queretaro, Mexico) with a score of (8-6) against Mercer’s junior Alara Hollyfield (Tampa, Florida) and Varudandi.  

Day two’s doubles matches also consisted of two wins for Pascual-Larrinaga and Carvajal with an (8-2) win against MTSU senior Zani Barnard (Midstream, South Africa) and sophomore Noelle Mauro (Marietta, Georgia), as well as an (8-6) defeat against UTC junior Bogdana Zaporozhets (Kiev, Ukraine) and Young.  

“This year, we are living together so our chemistry is even better, and we can see in and out of the court,” said Pascual-Larrinaga. “I think that makes a difference whenever we play.”

Many athletes have been enduring the struggle of having their season postponed due to the global pandemic. 

“I think it puts everything in perspective,” said head coach Rojas. “We have a big token of appreciation that we were able to get out there and play. We are not taking anything for granted. We are very appreciative of the university and our athletic administration for their support.”

“That’s kind of the message we have in practice almost every day,” Rojas continued. “You never know when it could be your last time, so just come out here and work hard and take advantage of every opportunity, whether it’s in practice or in a tournament.”