ETSU women’s tennis opens SoCon play 1-0

JOHNSON CITY, Tenn. (March 11, 2023) – It was a memorable day for ETSU women’s tennis at the Dave Mullins Tennis Complex on Saturday afternoon, as head coach Ricky Rojas earned his 100th win and the Bucs defeated UNC Greensboro, 6-1, to open Southern Conference play.

Rojas — now in his sixth season at the helm — has compiled an 88-55 record leading the women’s tennis program and a 32-6 record in SoCon matches. The other 12 wins came while leading the men’s program for a short stint.

The Bucs (9-4) were shorthanded in doubles play and won the top flight thanks to Laylo Bakhodirova (Tashkent, Uzbekistan) and Mariya Shumeika (Minsk, Belarus) with a 6-3 win, but lost on the second court to give UNCG (3-11) an early point advantage.

Singles went more favorably for the Blue & Gold as ETSU swept all six courts. Daniela Rivera (Maturin, Venezuela) and Ralitsa Alexandrova (Sofia, Bulgaria) started the scoring in the No. 5 and No. 6 spots, winning 6-2, 6-2 and 6-0, 6-1, respectively.

On the third court, Maria Fernanda Carvajal (Queretaro, Mexico) continued her winning ways with a 6-1, 6-1 win to make it 3-1. Carvajal is now 8-1 in No. 3 singles this season and 8-3 overall. The match-clinching point came courtesy of Bakhodirova in the top bracket, defeating Arina Babkova by a 6-3, 6-0 final.

Over on the fourth court, Emilia Alfaro (Azul, Argentina) took down Juliana Craft with dual 6-3 set wins, while Shumeika wrapped things up with an exciting finish on the second court. Shumeika lost the first set to Hanna Giddings, 7-6, but won 6-2 to tie the match in the second set. Shumeika cruised in the tiebreaker to win 10-1 and clinch the singles sweep.

ETSU returns to action next week in Miami, Fla. for a match against Florida International on Wednesday, March 15. The Bucs will play again at FIU the next day, battling Yale on Thursday, March 16. Both matches will begin at 12 p.m.

For more information on Buccaneer women’s tennis, visit ETSUBucs.com and click on the women’s tennis page.