Women’s Tennis Improves to 5-2

By MADALYN CROWELL

The University of Mary Washington women’s tennis team traveled to Swarthmore, Pennsylvania Friday afternoon to take on Swarthmore College in an indoor match. The 13th-ranked Eagles won two of three doubles matches and five of six singles matches, ending in a 7-2 victory over Swarthmore.

Sophomore and third seed player, Michelle Meadows, commented that the team was nervous going into the match because it was an “in-region” match and therefore affected their national ranking.
Since there were quite a few new players on the Swarthmore team, the Eagles did not know what to expect as far as how the other team would perform.

The Eagles went up 2-1 after doubles with an exciting clutch win from second doubles, played by junior Megan Lawlor and Meadows. During their match, the lead traded several times, but Lawlor and Meadows came out one top with an 8-6 win.

Sophomore and first seed player, Courtney Goimarac, said, “It was a nerve racking situation, only having 3 courts to play on. So, 1, 2 and 3 singles went on at the same time while everyone else watched.”

The lights went out in the indoor facility, halting play for at least 15 minutes and causing tensions to rise. Goimarac was playing the second set of her singles match when the event occurred, but came out with a 2-1 victory over her opponent.

“After my match was over I was able to watch the rest of the singles matches, and Michelle’s win at third singles to clinch the win was a great moment after she came back from 4-1 down in the final set, Goimarac said. “Swarthmore definitely put up a tough fight and it was an important win for us that really boosted our confidence in our team and what we can accomplish this season.”

As far as goals for the rest of the season, Meadows said, “Well every team wants a national championship but we have a few more years to build up to that goal because of how young our team is. Realistically, I hope our team makes the Elite 8.”

Goimarac says that all of the players have faith in one another, and they all play to the best of their ability in every match.

“Our team is young, but we have a lot of drive and determination and are looking forward to competing against the best in the nation,” Goimarac said. “Specifically though, a main goal is to make it to the final site of the NCAA tournament for the top eight teams which will be hosted at Mary Washington this year.”

The Eagles will take on Johns Hopkins starting at 9 a.m., Sunday March 21 at home. Immediately following, they will travel to Delaware where they will play Wesley.