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Women’s Tennis Drops League Opener To UIC, 4-3

Women’s Tennis Drops League Opener To UIC, 4-3
Posted: Mar 13, 2021

CLEVELAND, Ohio – The Cleveland State women's tennis team opened up Horizon League play Saturday morning, dropping a hard fought 4-3 battle to preseason favorite UIC.

"This was another tough match for us today, and another battle on the court," head coach Frank Polito said. "I thought we played really well in doubles at all three spots in the lineup, and gained some momentum heading into singles after picking up the early point. We struggled in four first sets to begin singles though, and we had a hard time refocusing and getting the momentum back on our side."

The Vikings were able to get out to a quick 1-0 start following a strong doubles performance, picking up wins at No. 2 and No. 3 doubles. This marked just the third time this season that the Vikings earned the early 1-0 advantage.

At No. 3 doubles, Selma Tounsi and Bethany Yauch were able to earn a convincing 6-1 victory, while Kateryna Avram and Blanche Lenoan posted a 6-3 win at the No. 2 spot to the clinch the early point. Avram and Lenoan's victory at the No. 2 spot marked their team-leading fifth doubles win of the season.

After UIC was able to pick up the first singles win at the No. 2 spot, Cleveland State responded with a win at the top of the lineup to gain a 2-1 advantage in the match. At No. 1 singles, Miruna Vasilescu cruised to a 6-1, 6-1 win to pick up her team-leading fifth singles win of the year.

The Flames were once again able to even the match at 2-2 following a win at No. 4 singles, but the Vikings answered with a win at the No. 5 spot to gain a 3-2 lead with just two matches left on the court. Cleveland State's win at No. 5 singles came from Yauch, as she earned a 6-3, 6-4 victory.

"I thought Miruna did a great job of coming out quick and getting us a quick singles point, and Bethany did a nice job of closing out her match down the stretch. Although she wasn't able to get the win today, I thought Blanche played hard in her match, and if we had to do it all again, I would definitely want her out on the court battling. Now we will have a quick turnaround to get ready for tomorrow, which will be another battle between two solid Horizon League teams," Polito said.

UIC was then able to pick up wins at No. 6 and No. 3 singles, capturing the 4-3 match win.

Cleveland State and UIC will close out the two-match series tomorrow (Sunday, March 14), with first serve set for 10:00 a.m. at the Medical Mutual Tennis Pavilion.