The fourth-ranked Emory University women’s tennis team suffered its first loss of the spring on Wednesday afternoon. Facing a tough Columbus State University team, the Eagles lost to 6-3.
The Eagles fell to a 2-1 record on the season while the Division II sixth ranked Cougars remained improved to 6-0.
“They performed pretty well. We are heading in the right direction…things overall look good at this point in the season,” Coach Amy Bryant said.
Freshman Beatrice Rosen and freshman Stephanie Loutsenko both scored points for the Eagles on Wednesday. The Eagles’ third point of the match was a win by default in sixth singles.
“Overall, I think the match went well considering we lost to them more significantly last year. However, I still think we could have won. Our team potential is obvious and we are getting better with each match, especially in terms of our doubles strength,” said Rosen.
Rosen was a bright spot in the match for the Eagles. She played in the third match defeating Olivera Jokic 6-1, 6-2.
“I personally prepared for my match this past week by working on patience in setting up my points in order to force my opponent to hit a short ball, which I can then put away to win the point,” Rosen said.
Loutsenko played in the fourth singles contest against Laura Chapman, winning in three sets (6-2, 3-6, 6-1).
“They did well. They stuck to the game plan and did what they needed to do. Good overall performance,” Bryant said in reflection on her Rosen and Loutsenko.
Coach Bryant was happy to finally have junior Brenna Kelly back on the team from injury. Kelly was abroad last semester and played in third doubles.
“It was nice to have Brenna Kelly back. She is back off an injury and was also abroad last semester. She was in a three doubles and she is a key player for us in doubles,” Bryant said.
Rosen played with Kelly for the first time in their doubles match. They played a close match, but fell to the team of Andrea Redrado and Renata Paiva (9-7).
“I played with junior Brenna Kelly for the first time, and her serve and volley style was different and unusual for me compared to my baseline style, but I think we meshed very well as partners and I look forward to hopefully playing more with her,” Rosen said.
The Eagles are heading in the right direction and have plenty of potential and room to improve as the season goes on.
“I told them after the match that they looked good. We need to work on our doubles a bit more, but all in all I’m impressed that even in the first set we lost we came back in the second set,” Bryant said. “It shows me that we are sticking it out there on the court and doing whatever we can to win a match, which is very important.”
Rosen is excited for the season to continue.
“The season is going great. Our team is incredibly deep and there is so much talent and potential. We are taking it one match at a time, but I absolutely can’t wait to play our rival teams like Williams, Amherst, and University of Chicago later this spring. I’m so pumped,” Rosen said.
Emory will be back in action on Saturday, Mar. 2 at 10 a.m. where they host the University of the South at the Woodruff P.E. Center.
– By Alexander Del Re
The Emory Wheel was founded in 1919 and is currently the only independent, student-run newspaper of Emory University. The Wheel publishes weekly on Wednesdays during the academic year, except during University holidays and scheduled publication intermissions.
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