Women’s tennis finds a way to squeak by Highlanders to start 1-0

BRISTOL, Tenn.  (Jan. 28, 2012) – The ETSU women’s tennis team started the spring season on a positive note, pulling out a 4-3 victory against Radford on Saturday afternoon in a non-conference matchup held in Bristol, Tenn.

“It was good to get the first match out of the way and come away with a win,” ETSU assistant coach Travis Sandlant said. “Winning the doubles point was vital today, and it was great to see our team dig deep and come from behind even when we were facing match points. I give them full credits for their work today and to Radford for pushing us to the end.”

ETSU (1-0) swept Radford (1-2) for the doubles point, although every match was closely contested. Senior Paula Jaime (Madrid, Spain) paired with sophomore Giulia Andreazza (Balneario Camboriu, Brazil) – the first time the two have ever teamed up in match play – to take down Radford’s Hannah Crawford and Meg Napolitano 8-6.

That was as lopsided as any of the three doubles matches got, as senior Marine Wieliczko (Rouen, France) and freshman Jessica Brumit (Elizabethton, Tenn.) defeated Mia Drobnjak and Gemma Valls 9-8 (7-4) to win ETSU the doubles point. The other doubles match featured newcomer Kelsey Williams (Sunbury, Australia) and junior Diana Navrostska (Lviv, Ukraine) taking on Petra Dajevic and Taylor Newman, which ETSU won 8-7 (7-4) in a shortened set after the doubles point had already been sealed.

Jaime, the No. 115 ITA ranked women’s singles player, took care of business playing at No. 1 singles by defeating Dajevic 6-1, 6-3 and improving her season singles record to 13-3. Williams was the other Buccaneer to earn a straight set victory, defeating Newman 6-1, 6-2 to earn her first collegiate win.

The other four singles matches went three sets apiece, with Wieliczko earning a 3-6, 6-3, 6-3 victory agaainst Crawford. The Bucs dropped the other three singles matches, with Andreazza, Navrostska and Brumit falling in their respective three-setters, but it was all for naught as ETSU began its 2012 season at 1-0.

ETSU now waits until Thursday, Feb. 9, for its next match, when it travels to Atlanta to take on current-No. 58 Georgia State.

For more information on ETSU tennis, please visit ETSUBucs.com and click on the tennis links.