CLEVELAND, Ohio – Behind a balanced effort in both singles and doubles play, the Cleveland State women's tennis team got back on the winning track Sunday afternoon, defeating Duquesne, 6-1.
The Vikings got out to an early 1-0 lead following doubles play, and then rattled off five straight singles victories to clinch the match. In doubles, CSU got wins from the No. 1 team of Alex Power and Ellen Folkers (8-5) and the No. 2 team of Alex Bush and Princess Gbadamosi (8-6).
"Today I thought we played great doubles, we were able to come back from behind on two of the courts and get the first point," head coach Brian Etzkin said. "It was great to see the doubles teams closing out close matches and I think our No. 1 doubles team is playing the best doubles they have played all year. Our No. 2 doubles team fought hard as well today, they were able to knock off five straight games to get the victory on their court."
Kara Sherwood quickly gave CSU a 2-0 advantage with a 6-2, 6-0 victory at No. 3 singles, marking the 70th singles win of her career. Sherwood, who is now tied for fifth on the CSU singles wins list, is just the sixth Viking all-time to reach 70 wins on their career.
Lauren Golick then put CSU up 3-0 with a 7-5, 6-1 victory at the top of the lineup, before Gbadamosi clinched the match with a 6-2, 6-2 win at No. 5 singles. Gbadamosi now has a team-high 16 singles wins on the season.
Power, who was playing in just her sixth singles match this spring, gave CSU a 5-0 advantage with a 2-6, 6-1, 6-2 victory at No. 6 singles, while Mathilde Orange came back to earn a 0-6, 7-6 (2), 10-5 win at the No. 4 spot give CSU the 6-0 lead.
"In singles I really thought it was about bouncing back from yesterday and coming back from early deficits today. I am proud of how the team came back after a tough loss yesterday and fought hard throughout the entire match and found a way to win. Mathilde and Alex Power both lost tough first sets and bounced back to pick up wins on their respective courts, which shows the determination that the entire team had today. We are still gunning for first place in the league standings, and even though we will have to do it the hard way now after yesterday's loss, we can't wait until next weekend's matches against Green Bay and Milwaukee," Etzkin said.
The Vikings will return to Horizon League play next weekend, hosting Green Bay (Saturday, April 12) and Milwaukee (Sunday, April 13). Check CSUVikings.com for updates on locations for both matches.
Cleveland State 6, Duquesne 1
Doubles:
- Alex Power/Ellen Folkers (CSU) def. Judy Li/Alexa Miller (DUQ), 8-5
- Alex Bush/Princess Gbadamosi (CSU) def. Sarah Shashura/Spencer Caravaggio (DUQ), 8-6
- Chandler Consonery/Zuzanna Stelmaszak (DUQ) def. Kara Sherwood/Victoria Bensimon (CSU), 8-3
Singles:
- Lauren Golick (CSU) def. Judy Li (DUQ), 7-5, 6-1
- Alexa Miller (DUQ) def. Alex Bush (CSU), 6-4, 7-6 (5)
- Kara Sherwood (CSU) def. Zuzanna Stelmaszak (DUQ), 6-2, 6-
- Mathilde Orange (CSU) def. Chandler Consonery (DUQ), 0-6, 7-6 (2), 10-5
- Princess Gbadamosi (CSU) def. Alrissa Tobe (DUQ), 6-2, 6-2
- Alex Power (CSU) def. Sarah Shashura (DUQ), 2-6, 6-1, 6-3
