For Immediate Release – 3/24/17 - #256
WildCats Earn Close Win Against Maroons
LYNCHBURG, VA – The Randolph College women's tennis team responded from a deficit after doubles to earn an Old Dominion Athletic Conference (ODAC) victory over Roanoke College on Friday. The WildCats won 5-4.
The action started with doubles action as always, and there was one new pair for the WildCats at number three. However, the top-two remained the same, and the pairing at number one looked very strong. Keyu Jin and Aubrey Hawn were that team and the first-year duo put on a great fight. The 'Cats and Maroons went back and forth, but Randolph hung in there. The team won the last three games to seal the victory 8-6. At number two, Jenna Sweet and Ashley Schmitz teamed and unfortunately dug themselves an early hole. Sweet and Schmitz fought back, taking three late games, but fell. Samantha Dickerson was once again in at number three, but this time her partner was Kristen Hamilton. The two looked strong, and took four games. However, it would not be enough as the WildCats went into singles action down 2-1.
Despite dropping those contests, Randolph responded in a strong manner in singles. Jin and Hawn carried the momentum of the comeback over into singles action at number one and two respectively. Jin played well and gave up only five games on the way to a two-set victory. Hawn was even more superb, allowing only a single game per set to go to the Maroon.
Sweet did an outstanding job of taking down her opponent at number three. She used excellent placement on many of her shots, and won by the same score line as Jin. Schmitz kept up the momentum she had gained from the end of her doubles match. She controlled the action the entire match, giving up only two games per set, giving the WildCats the fifth win.
Lauren Appel played at number five and battled in the first set. However, she fell 7-5, and lost the overall match in two sets. Dickerson won her first set at number six in easy fashion, giving up a solitary game. However, she dropped the second, which set up a super-tiebreak. Her opponent won.
Randolph (6-2 overall, 3-1 ODAC) will finish play this weekend on Sunday against Emory & Henry College (3-6, 0-1). The ODAC match was originally scheduled for 1 p.m., but it has been moved indoors to the Bristol Racquet and Fitness Club in Bristol, TN, with a start time of 4 p.m.
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