For Immediate Release – 2/18/17 - #196
Randolph Opens Spring with Big Win at Ferrum
FERRUM, VA – The Randolph College women's tennis team began its spring portion of the 2016-2017 season on Saturday at Ferrum College. The WildCats dominated their opposition from the get-go, defeating the Panthers 9-0.
Doubles began the afternoon, and the team featured three new pairs, including four first years. Despite the lack of collegiate action, the teams were nearly perfect. Jenna Sweet, the lone upperclassmen, teamed with Lauren Appel at number two. Sweet and Appel were outstanding, not dropping a game on the way to an 8-0 win. Ashley Schmitz and Samantha Dickerson teamed at number three and were just as good. The two blanked their opponents on the way to an 8-0 victory. Keyu Jin and Aubrey Hawn were the final team, playing at number one. While they dropped two games, Jin and Hawn breezed the rest of the way to an 8-2 win.
Going into singles play up 3-0 makes it easier for the team to win, but this was the first dual match for four of the 'Cats. However, it was not that way for Sweet and Dickerson. Dickerson played at number six and made very quick work of her opponent. She won 6-0, 6-0 in less an hour. Sweet took to the court at number three and she was almost as perfect. Sweet beat her opponent 6-0, 6-1.
Dickerson and Sweet were not the only ones to win by those scores. Schmitz and Hawn competed at number four and two respectively and breezed through the opposing Panthers. Neither gave up a point on their way to a first collegiate win in singles in a dual match. Appel followed her doubles partner winning 6-1, 6-0 on the way to her first dual match win, taking down the opposing player at number five. Jin rounded out the Randolph players. She had a tough battle at number one, but was successful in leaving Ferrum with the win. She picked up her first singles win in a dual match by the score of 6-3, 6-3.
Randolph (1-0 overall) will return home for its next match. The WildCats open up Old Dominion Athletic Conference (ODAC) play on Tuesday against Washington and Lee University (1-0, 1-0 ODAC) at 3 p.m.
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