WESTLAKE, Ohio – The Cleveland State women's tennis team opened Horizon League play Sunday afternoon, defeating Wright State 6-1.
For the fifth time this season the Vikings were able to get out to an early 1-0 lead after picking up the doubles point. CSU got a convincing 8-3 win at the No. 1 spot from Alex Power and Ellen Folkers and then picked up an 8-5 win at No. 3 doubles from Kara Sherwood and Victoria Bensimon. The No. 2 doubles team of Alex Bush and Princess Gbadamosi was also ahead in their match, 6-2, before it got suspended.
"I was pumped with our doubles play today, I thought our No. 1 doubles team looked like a No. 1 doubles team as they were aggressive and finished points with power, and our No. 2 and No. 3 doubles teams played some great tennis," head coach Brian Etzkin said. "Had we won or lost the doubles point, I thought we played great tennis and focused on playing CSU doubles tennis."
Cleveland State quickly added to its lead with a win at No. 6 singles, as Bensimon cruised to a 6-0, 6-1 victory to put the Vikings up 2-0. Lauren Golick then gave CSU a 3-0 advantage with a 6-4, 6-0 victory at the top of the singles lineup, before Mathilde Orange clinched the match with a 6-2, 6-4 win at No. 4 singles.
Wright State was then able to keep the Vikings from earning the sweep with a win at No. 2 singles, but Sherwood and Gbadamosi closed out the match with a pair of wins for Cleveland State. Sherwood came out on top of a 6-2, 6-4 decision at No. 3 singles, while Gbadamosi battled for a 6-7 (6), 6-2, 10-8 victory at the No. 5 spot.
"In singles we were in control the whole time, and I knew it would be a competitive match and would come down to what we did in the tight spots. Overall I thought we did a great job of finishing and really focusing when it came down to the small things. This was a solid team effort for us, and I feel like we are starting to build some momentum that will hopefully continue next weekend," Etzkin said.
The Vikings will continue Horizon League play next weekend, traveling to Detroit (Saturday, March 29) and Oakland (Sunday, March 30).
Cleveland State 6, Wright State 1
Doubles:
- Power/Folkers (CSU) def. Verstrepen/Cloern (WSU), 8-3
- Bush/Gbadamosi (CSU) vs. V. Madrigal/Turner (WSU), 6-2
- Sherwood/Bensimon (CSU) def. A. Madrigal/Brdicka (WSU), 8-5
Singles:
- Lauren Golick (CSU) def. Linsey Verstrepen (WSU), 6-4, 6-0
- Vanessa Madrigal (WSU) def. Alex Bush (CSU), 6-3, 3-6, 10-4
- Kara Sherwood (CSU) def. Tori Turner (WSU), 6-2, 6-4
- Mathilde Orange (CSU) def. Aby Madrigal (WSU), 6-2, 6-4
- Princess Gbadamosi (CSU) def. Megan Brdicka (WSU), 6-7 (6), 6-2, 10-8
- Victoria Bensimon (CSU) def. Liz Steingass (WSU), 6-0, 6-1
