DAVIDSON, N.C. (Jan. 23, 2021) — ETSU’s Women’s Tennis team brought out the brooms in Davidson on Saturday afternoon as the Bucs swept the Wildcats, 7-0 to earn their first win of the young season.  

For the first time this season, the Blue and Gold had a 1-0 advantage heading into singles play. At the top doubles battle, ETSU’s team of Alejandra Morales (Santiago, Chile) and Mayya Gorbunova (Moscow, Russia) won their first match of the season, 6-4. Needing to win one more match to secure the point, the duo of Andrea Pascual-Larrinaga (Basauri, Spain) and Maria Carvajal (Queretaro, Mexico) got the win at the No. 3 spot, 6-3.

At the No. 1 singles bout, on her birthday, Laylo Bakhodirova (Tashkent, Uzbekistan) was able to win her first singles battle of the young season with a 6-4, 6-3 sweep. Pascual-Larrinaga matched Bakhodirova and gave the Bucs a 3-0 lead after a quick 6-3, 6-1 sweep of her Wildcat opponent. After earning her first collegiate regular-season win a week ago, Emilia Alfaro (Azul, Argentina) swept her opponent at No. 4, 6-1, 6-3 to secure the match for ETSU.

With eyes on a sweep, Morales did her part earning a comeback win at No. 2 (4-6, 6-0, 6-3). At the bottom of the singles lineup, both Carvajal and Yunuen Elizarraras (Cuernavaca, Mexico) made quick work of their opponents with 6-1, 6-0 and 6-4, 6-1 wins respectively.  

In the shortened season last year, ETSU swept three opponents and won 7-0 just once. The Bucs move to 1-2 on the season; Wildcats fall to 0-1.

Singles Competition

1. Laylo Bakhodirova (ETSU) def. Josie Schaffer, 6-4, 6-3
2. Alejandra Morales (ETSU) def. Nicole Krykanov, 4-6, 6-0, 6-3
3. A. Pascual-Larrinaga (ETSU) def. Maria Gladstone, 6-1, 6-3
4. Emilia Alfaro (ETSU) def. Ava Ignatowich, 6-1, 6-3
5. Maria F. Carvajal (ETSU) def. Franny Shea, 6-1, 6-0
6. Yunuen Elizarraras (ETSU) def. Charlotte James, 6-4, 6-3

Doubles competition

1. Alejandra Morales/Mayya Gorbunova (ETSU) def. Nicole Krykanov/Josie Schaffer, 6-4
2. Elizabeth Truluck/Maria Gladstone def. Laylo Bakhodirova/Emilia Alfaro (ETSU), 7-6
3. A. Pascual-Larrinaga/Maria F. Carvajal (ETSU) def. Franny Shea/Ava Ignatowich, 6-3 

Match Notes:
East Tennessee State 1-2
Davidson 1-0
Order of finish: Doubles (1,3,2); Singles (3,1,4,2,5,6)