ORLANDO, Fla. – The University of Northwestern Women's Tennis team took the trek down to sunny Orlando, Florida for their annual spring break trip and started a week of competition with a few tough opponents on Monday. First, UNW fell 0-7 to Millsaps College, then lost 1-6 to Roger Williams University in the nightcap.
Match One: Millsaps College Majors
Doubles began with a new combo at No. 1.
Abby Johnson (Zimmerman, Minn./Homeschool) and
Aby Ross (Chico, Calif./Central) teamed up at No. 1 and played a hard fought match, ultimately falling 1-6. No. 3 doubles (
Caitlyn Swigart (Cottage Grove, Minn./Park) and
Isabelle Sullivan (Cambridge, Minn./Cambridge-Isanti)) was close behind, ending with a 3-6 score. Another new combo was tested at No. 2 doubles, where
Elise Jarchow (Luverne, Minn./Luverne) and
Paige Johnson (Zimmerman, Minn./Homeschool) made things interesting, mounting a comeback to bring their match to a tiebreaker. After going down early, they rallied back to bring the score to 6-6. After an unlucky net cord serve, Millsaps was able to secure the win.
The Majors took care of business in singles matches as well. At No. 1,
Abby Johnson (Zimmerman, Minn./Homeschool) was swept, 6-0, 6-0. Jarchow fell 6-0, 6-2 at No. 3, while Ross dropped her No. 4 match, 6-1, 6-2. Swigart also lost in the No. 5 spot, 6-1, 6-0. Some bright spots for the Eagles came No. 2 and No. 6 singles.
Paige Johnson (Zimmerman, Minn./Homeschool) battled at No. 2, grabbing four games in the first set and two in the second.
Isabelle Sullivan (Cambridge, Minn./Cambridge-Isanti) rallied back from an 0-6 first set to secure a 4-6 score in set two.
Match Two: Roger Williams University Hawks
Looking to improve from the morning, the Eagles battled Roger Williams University in the afternoon. With the setup of the court, the match began with singles.
Elise Jarchow (Luverne, Minn./Luverne) faced off at No. 3, ending with a 2-6, 0-6 result.
Caitlyn Swigart (Cottage Grove, Minn./Park) at No. 5 finished soon after, improving from her earlier match with a 2-6, 2-6, result. Next was
Paige Johnson (Zimmerman, Minn./Homeschool), ending at 3-6, 3-6 in the No. 2 match.
Aby Ross (Chico, Calif./Central) battled at No. 4, but her opponent ultimately prevailed with a 2-6, 4-6 win.
Abby Johnson (Zimmerman, Minn./Homeschool) took her No. 1 singles match the distance in set one, pushing the score to 5-7, but Izzy Pecora of RWU rallied in the second to secure the 6-3 win for the Hawks. Finally,
Isabelle Sullivan (Cambridge, Minn./Cambridge-Isanti) had the tightest score of the match, winning the first set 6-3, falling in the second 1-6, and kept the third set tiebreaker close, but ultimately fell 6-10.
Where the Eagles really shone against RWU was in doubles, winning all three matches in convincing fashion. Swigart and Sullivan took care of business at No. 2, rolling to a 6-1 result.
Paige Johnson (Zimmerman, Minn./Homeschool) and Jarchow followed close behind at No. 1, winning 6-3, with Johnson securing her first college win. The No. 3 doubles team of
Yerly Rothwell (Reedsburg, Wis./Reedsburg Area) and
Hannah Hyttsten (Becker, Minn./Becker) dominated at the net, earning their way to a 6-3 final score, and getting their first match wins as well.
The Eagles are next in action on Tuesday, taking on Oglethorpe University at 2:30 PM at the USTA National Campus.
