WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – The Cleveland State women's tennis team earned a spot in the Horizon League Semifinals Friday afternoon, picking up a 4-1 victory over sixth-seeded Oakland in the first round. The Vikings will now face No. 2 Detroit in semifinal action tomorrow (Saturday, April 25).
After getting down early in doubles play, the Vikings were able to battle back and get the early point with wins at No. 1 and No. 3 doubles. CSU's top doubles team of Ellen Folkers and Victoria Bensimon picked up a 6-2 win, while Princess Gbadamosi and Mathilde Orange earned a 6-3 win at No. 3 doubles.
Gbadamosi then gave CSU a 2-0 advantage to begin singles play, as she dominated a 6-0, 6-1 decision at the No. 5 spot, winning her third straight singles match.
"Although we got out to a slow start in doubles, we were able to turn it around and pick up the early point. I thought we played good, aggressive doubles today, and it is always big in the league tournament to be able to get out to the early 1-0 lead," head coach Brian Etzkin said. "Princess quickly followed the doubles point up with her singles victory, as she dominated her match playing great tennis with some great footwork. When she focuses on her footwork, there is no stopping her and I believe she can beat any of her opponents."
Cleveland State then got out a 3-0 lead following a victory from Orange at No. 1 singles. Orange tallied a 6-0, 6-3 victory to put the Vikings just one point away from clinching the match.
Before the Vikings could post their fourth point, Oakland was able to get on the board though, picking up a win at No. 4 singles.
"Mathilde and Princess definitely set the tone for us today, picking up quick 6-0 victories in their first sets. It was huge for us to get the early first set victories so that we could play from ahead on a majority of the courts. Mathilde was able to finish off her second set like a true No. 1 singles player, while Jana got another clinching point for us. She is getting great experience in situations like this, and we are definitely comfortable having her in those situations," Etzkin said.
Cleveland State's clinching point then came from Jana Schober at No. 6 singles, as she battled for a 7-6 (2), 6-3 victory.
"Our hats go off to Oakland for making it to the tournament, and they continue to grow and become a force in the league. Tomorrow we need to turn around a 4-3 loss to Detroit from the regular season, but we are definitely going into the match with a good attitude and we are certainly ready for the challenge," Etzkin said.
The Vikings will now take on No. 2 Detroit in a semifinal contest tomorrow (Saturday, April 25) at 7:00 p.m. Due to the weather forecast for the West Lafayette area, tomorrow's semifinal contest has been moved indoors. Links for live video and live scoring will be available on the women's tennis schedule page at CSUVikings.com.
No. 3 Cleveland State 4, No. 6 Oakland 1
Doubles:
- Bensimon/Folkers (CSU) def. Sabourin/Hemond-Hill (OAK), 6-2
- Golawska/Schober (CSU) vs. Blum/Guy (OAK), 4-5, unf
- Gbadamosi/Orange (CSU) def. Celis/Guevara (OAK), 6-3
Singles:
- Mathilde Orange (CSU) def. Cam Sabourin (OAK), 6-0, 6-3
- Ellen Folkers (CSU) vs. Karine Celis (OAK), 6-3, 6-5, unf
- Victoria Bensimon (CSU) vs. Tamara Blum (OAK), 6-4, 4-6, 0-1, unf
- Elizabeth Guy (OAK) def. Aleksandra Golawska (CSU), 6-3, 6-3
- Princess Gbadamosi (CSU) def. Juliana Guevara (OAK), 6-0, 6-1
- Jana Schober (CSU) def. Theresa Elder (OAK), 7-6 (2), 6-3
Order of Finish: Doubles (1, 3) – Singles (5, 1, 4, 6)
