WINTER PARK, Fla. - The Saginaw Valley State University women's tennis team claimed another convincing victory Thursday, March 10 over regional foe Cedarville University at the Winter Park (Fla.) Tennis Center. The Cardinals prevailed 8-1 to finish their spring trip with a 5-1 record.
Pressed into playing no. 1 singles, Ana Pico Garcia came out on top of a marathon match, battling through injury to win 6-2, 6-7, 14-12. At no. 2 singles, Shea Donahue defeated her opponent 6-1, 6-0. Erin Doud won her match at no. 3 singles, 6-0, 6-1.
High school teammates Abby Shonk and Danielle Slonac each won their matches 6-0, 6-0 at no. 4 and no. 5 singles, respectively. Mikayla Kazdan claimed victory at no. 6 singles, 6-2, 6-2.
"It was very hot on the courts today and I thought we handled it well," said Jenn Boehm, head coach. "Ana played through a painful muscle strain and showed tremendous heart to pull out a third-set tie-breaker victory. One of the things I am most proud of is how these ladies simply never stop fighting."
Doubles play followed singles. With the team match decided, Pico Garcia and Doud withdrew due to Pico Garcia's injury, giving the point to Cedarville. At no. 2 doubles, Donahue and Slonac won 8-2; Shonk and Kazdan combined for an 8-5 victory at no. 3 doubles.
Izabella Ismailova was unable to play in the match due to illness.
"Despite the injury and illness that led to the default at no. 1 doubles, we took care of business in singles and tried some new doubles pairings. At no. 3 doubles we came back from a 5-2 deficit to claim victory 8-5," Boehm said.
Boehm was pleased with the team's spring performance.
"This week was unusual in that we didn't have any close team results," she said. "In five of the six contests, we won every match where we competed and really played solid tennis all around. Where we lost, we lost to a better opponent."
"As a program we are in better physical condition than ever and we want to continue pushing to improve throughout the remainder of the season. This trip also proved to intensify the bond these ladies have with one another. It's fun to see how close they are and how well they support each other on and off the court."
The Cardinals return to the court Wednesday, March 23 when they travel to play Lawrence Tech.
