KISSIMMEE, Fla. - Coming into their spring break trip, UNW Women's Tennis had Trine University on their radar. In their last matchup, they lost a tight tiebreaker to close out a 4-5 loss. On Tuesday night, the Eagles came out in full force ready to start fresh and beat the tough Thunder team. UNW did just that, earning an 8-1 win over Trine.
The match started out strong with senior captain
Taylar Smith (Litchfield, Minn./Litchfield) taking control early to win her #5 singles match 6-3, 6-0.
Annie Orvis (Rochester, Minn/Schaeffer Academy) soon followed with a dominant 6-4, 6-1 win at #1 singles.
Then came the drama.
After a tough first set at #6 singles, Ana Marquardt stepped on the gas and won the second set 6-1, taking her match to the first tiebreaker of the night. Marquardt held on tight and ultimately took home a win with a 10-6 tiebreak score
Just a few courts over,
Elise Jarchow (Luverne, Minn./Luverne) was in an all-out battle for the #4 singles match. She fought through a tight first set to win in a 7-5 tiebreaker. After falling short in the second set, Jarchow didn't waste any time. A powerful start in the third-set tiebreak propelled her to a 10-3 win, putting the clinch in sight.
Last on the singles court was freshman
Abby Johnson (Zimmerman, Minn./Homeschool), whose match story didn't follow the mold that her teammates had set that day. The lead was tossed back and forth throughout the entire match, both players barely edging each other out to go into a tiebreak with a set apiece.
Neither was going to go down without a fight. Emilee Bassett from Trine pulled out to an early 6-1 lead. After a quick changeover pep talk from Coach Swigart, Johnson went on an insane seven-point run to push herself to an 8-6 lead. After four tense points, Johnson clinched the match for the Eagles.
But the night was not over yet.
Doubles started off with
Domiano Baideme (Lakeville, Minn./Lakeville North) and
Elise Jarchow (Luverne, Minn./Luverne) taking care of business at #2 doubles, securing an 8-3 win. Not far behind was #3 doubles.
Elli Dodge (Wahpeton, N.D./Wahpeton) and
Taylar Smith (Litchfield, Minn./Litchfield) ended with another 8-3 win.
Annie Orvis (Rochester, Minn/Schaeffer Academy) and
Abby Johnson (Zimmerman, Minn./Homeschool) stayed neck and neck with their Trine opponents for their entire match. They spent most of the match down by one game, until nearly the very end. Turning up the heat, they swung the score in their favor, ultimately taking home the match on a deuce point, winning 8-6.
After starting the week out with three wins, the Eagles are now looking forward to their last two matches in Orlando, Florida. They will be taking on the Ursinus College Bears in the morning and the Saint Vincent College Bearcats in the evening on Thursday, March 9.
