This past weekend, the No. 1 Emory’s women’s tennis team (17-2) played Charleston Southern University (S.C.) and Coastal Carolina University (S.C.). Emory fell to CSU 6-3 and defeated CCU 5-4.
Despite the road trip split, senior Beatrice Rosen thought that the practice against such stiff competition benefited the team as a whole.
“Nothing went wrong at all,” Rosen said. “Division I teams are really good practice for us. We can win some and lose some.
For the first match, the Eagles traveled to Conway, S.C., looking to add to their season-long winning streak of nine matches and an impressive overall record of 17-2. The team’s first match-up of the weekend was against Charleston Southern, a tough Division I foe boasting a strong 13-3 record on the season.
On that Saturday afternoon, Emory was unable to extend their winning streak, as CSU defeated the squad in a 6-3 decision. Junior Katarina Su and sophomore Bridget Harding were one of Emory’s two victories on the afternoon, winning 6-1 in the second doubles spot. However, the lead at that point was already insurmountable. The only Emory players who won their singles matchups were Rosen and senior Madison Gordon at the fourth and sixth spots, respectively.
However, the Eagles didn’t let their rough match on Saturday determine their match against Division I opponent Coastal Carolina (17-5), as Emory was able to defeat CCU 5-4. The win was Emory’s third Division I victory on the season. The two teams split the singles competition, each taking away three wins. It was in doubles that Emory secured its overall match victory, with clutch wins from its first two doubles pairs.
Emory’s victory was built upon the strong play of their doubles team. Su and Harding achieved their sixth consecutive doubles win together in a decisive 6-1 decision, while sophomore Anna Fuhr and freshman Daniela Lopez, who filled the first doubles spot, ended their losing skid of two games with a 6-3 win.
The Eagles will look to carry this momentum in their return to competition against Middlebury College (Vt.), Skidmore College (N.Y.) and Bowdoin College (Maine) next weekend at Middlebury’s campus.
Rosen felt that the demanding weekend had helped them prepare for the trio of matches in the coming week.
“We feel fully prepared for the three Division III teams this weekend because last weekend prepped us,” Rosen said.
