Bucs move to 2-0 in SoCon play 

SPARTANBURG, S.C. (March 24, 2023) – Headlined by an exciting doubles competition across the board and a trio of three-set singles matches, ETSU women’s tennis handled business on the road with a 6-1 victory over Wofford on Friday in Spartanburg.  

The Bucs improved to 11-5 overall and 2-0 in Southern Conference play with the win, defeating Wofford for the 13th straight match. Meanwhile, Wofford drops to 10-6 overall and 1-1 in the league.

The afternoon started with three exciting doubles matches, starting with a tight 6-4 win by Wofford in the No. 3 slot. ETSU battled back and won the doubles point with two thrilling wins, starting with a 7-5 victory for Daniela Rivera (Maturin, Venezuela) and Maria Fernanda Carvajal (Queretaro, Mexico) to tie it up.

The clincher for doubles came at the top, as Laylo Bakhodirova (Tashkent, Uzbekistan) and Mariya Shumeika (Minsk, Belarus) powered through and won 7-6 over Georgia Fischer and Lily Woods with a 9-7 tiebreaker.

In singles, Bakhodirova made quick work of Woods with a 6-1, 6-0 win to put her team up 2-0, then Rivera won 6-2, 6-4 over Emely Kahrs to really put the pressure on. The match was clinched by Ralitsa Alexandrova (Sofia, Bulgaria) at No. 6 singles with a 6-4, 6-3 win over Catherine Blouin.

The final three singles matchups — despite the match already being clinched by ETSU — gave spectators an exciting show. The first of those was the No. 4 match with Emilia Alfaro (Azul, Argentina) overcoming a 6-3 loss to Fischer in set one to win 6-0, 6-1 in the final two sets. Shumeika fell in a tight one in No. 2 singles, as Breda Brennan won 6-2, 4-6, 1-0 (10-3) for Wofford’s lone point.

The match ended at No. 3 singles with Carvajal edging Brianna Wilbur with a 4-6, 6-0, 7-6 victory with the tiebreaker ending at 7-4.

Alexandrova and Rivera are now on four-match win streaks, whilen Bakhodirova has now won three in a row and is 8-1 over her last 10 matches — one unfinished. Rivera is 9-1 in her last 10.

The Bucs now swing South to Birmingham, Ala. for a match on Sunday, March 26 against Samford. First serve is set for 1 p.m. 

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