ORLANDO, Fla. – To call day two in Florida for the University of Northwestern Women's Tennis team a bounce-back would be an understatement. After an 0-2 Monday to begin its spring break slate, UNW dismantled Oglethorpe University on Tuesday afternoon by a 7-0 margin, getting several first career wins in the process.
The two teams kicked things off with singles instead of doubles, and the Eagles asserted their dominance from the jump.
Abby Johnson (Zimmerman, Minn./Homeschool) swept her first set 6-0 at No. 1, then followed up with a 6-4 win in set two to close it out her first win of the season. Her sister,
Paige Johnson (Zimmerman, Minn./Homeschool), earned her first career singles win in the No. 2 match by a 6-2, 6-1 score, while
Elise Jarchow (Luverne, Minn./Luverne) won in straight sets, 6-0, 6-0 at No. 3. At No. 4 singles,
Aby Ross (Chico, Calif./Central) had little trouble, winning 6-0, 6-1. In the No. 5 singles match,
Caitlyn Swigart (Cottage Grove, Minn./Park) won 6-2 in the opening set and broke her opponent's serve after a back-and-forth second to win it, 6-4. Finally,
Isabelle Sullivan (Cambridge, Minn./Cambridge-Isanti) cruised to a 6-1, 6-1 win at No. 6 singles.
With a 6-0 lead and the win already comfortably in hand, Northwestern was able to play some new faces in the ensuing doubles matches, and the results still favored the Eagles. Sullivan teamed up with
Yerly Rothwell (Reedsburg, Wis./Reedsburg Area) for a 6-1 win at No. 2 doubles, while
Hannah Hyttsten (Becker, Minn./Becker) was
Macie Ruddy's (Coon Rapids, Minn./Coon Rapids) co-pilot in Ruddy's first collegiate win, 6-2 in the No. 3 match. At No. 1 doubles,
Abby Johnson (Zimmerman, Minn./Homeschool) and Ross took care of business with a 6-2 victory to close out the 7-0 team win.
UNW will take Wednesday off, but will look to ride Tuesday's momentum into another two-match day on Thursday. The Eagles will face King's College (PA) at 6:30 AM (7:30 AM ET) and Wittenberg University at 5:30 PM (6:30 PM ET).
