KENNESAW, Ga. – The Cleveland State women's tennis team closed out its annual Spring Break Trip Wednesday afternoon, picking up a 4-0 victory at Kennesaw State. The Vikings finished their trip with a 1-1 record after playing Mercer and the Owls throughout the week.
PDF BOX SCORE | Cleveland State 4, Kennesaw State 0
Quick Hits
• Kateryna Avram picked up her team-leading 16th singles win of the year with her 6-3, 6-0 decision at Kennesaw State.
• For the seventh time this season the Vikings picked up the doubles point, getting wins at the top two spots in the lineup.
• With the win at No. 1 doubles, Isabella Spindler recorded her 59th career doubles win, ranking ninth on the CSU Doubles Wins List.
• Klara Mrcela became the fourth Viking to notch double-digit wins, claiming her 10th singles win of the 2018-19 campaign.
• The 4-0 victory over Kennesaw State marked the fifth shutout for the Vikings this season.
• Wednesday's match against Kennesaw State marked the first meeting between the two teams, while it also marked just the second match outdoors for the Vikings this spring.
The Match
Cleveland State was able to earn the early 1-0 advantage after picking up the doubles point, playing with duos that were together for the first time this spring. The Vikings cruised to a pair of wins at the top two spots of the doubles lineup, as Isabella Spindler and Klara Mrcela earned a 6-1 win at No. 1 doubles, and Kateryna Avram and Lara Prosenjak posted a 6-3 victory at the No. 2 spot.
The Vikings were able to carry this momentum into singles action, as they won first sets on all six singles courts. Avram was able to give Cleveland State a 2-0 lead after picking up a straight-set 6-3, 6-0 victory at No. 6 singles, improving to a team-best 9-3 this spring.
Spindler then put the Vikings up 3-0 following a 6-4, 6-1 win at the top of the lineup, marking her 52nd career singles win at Cleveland State.
The clinching point came from Klara Mrcela at No. 2 singles – her third clinching point out of the last four Cleveland State wins – as she earned a 6-4, 6-1 victory to improve to 7-6 during dual match play.
From The Sidelines
"This was a good team win for us today, we had to play through some tough conditions early on, but I thought the team really buckled down and played some solid tennis. We played some great doubles to get us off to a good start, and then being able to win all six first sets in singles really put us in a good position."
"It was nice to see Isabella and Klara play at a high level today and get a pair of singles wins, while Kate just took care of business like she usually does for us in the singles lineup. Hopefully this will be a good kickstart to league play for us, which starts up next week." – head coach Frank Polito
Up Next
• Cleveland State will begin Horizon League play on the road next week, traveling to Milwaukee (Saturday, March 23) and Green Bay (Sunday, March 24).
The Results
Doubles (1, 2)
1. Spindler/Mrcela (CSU) def. Castellanos/Nash (KSU), 6-1
2. Avram/Prosenjak (CSU) def. Jarrett/Baker (KSU), 6-3
3. Reilly/Cantrell (KSU) vs. Payne/Schoenberg (CSU), 4-4, unf.
Singles (6, 1, 2)
1. Isabella Spindler (CSU) def. Juliana Castellanos (KSU), 6-4, 6-1
2. Klara Mrcela (CSU) def. Lara Mehlsam (KSU), 6-4, 6-1
3. Lara Prosenjak (CSU) vs. Elle Baker (KSU), 6-4, 5-5, unf.
4. Siân Payne (CSU) vs. Kendall Nash (KSU), 7-6(3), 0-6, 0-1, unf.
5. Gaby Schoenberg (CSU) vs. Jessica Cantrell (KSU), 6-3, 1-6, 1-0, unf.
6. Kateryna Avram (CSU) def. Aspen Jarrett (KSU), 6-3, 6-0
