Women’s tennis rolls over ‘Zaga for second straight win
What a difference one match can make.
Stuck in a four-match losing streak, the Aggies broke out Thursday to defeat Montana. Riding that momentum, the Utah State women’s tennis team stormed past Gonzaga (3-13) on Saturday for a 6-1 win at the Sports Academy in North Logan.
It was the first time this season the Aggies (4-6) have won back-to-back matches as they improved their home record to 4-1.
And confidence from the last victory was riding high.
“[The victory] was huge. It built our confidence way up,” said Aggie Lindsey Bennion. “We came out here and had the same confidence as the last match we played.”
USU Head Coach Chris Wright said, “If you get that winning feeling, it just spreads.”
Much like its last match, Utah State jumped out to a quick lead with victories at No. 1 and No. 3 doubles to take the doubles point.
Caroline Pollock and Bennion picked up the victory at No. 1 over Jamie Bauterbaugh and Sirrah Williams, in the most tightly contested of the doubles matches.
Both teams held their serves until the Bulldogs went up a break and then held their serve to jump ahead 5-3. But the Aggies were able to hold their serve and then pick up the break on a winner by Bennion, scorched down the line to the back corner.
The Aggies won 8-6.
In the decisive No. 3 doubles match, Jill Smith and Andrea Hansen were up 6-5 and able to pick up the break against Gonzaga’s Leigh Orne and Connie Head. In the final game, Smith finished the Bulldogs off with an ace to win the match.
“That’s the second time that it’s came down to our court taking it for the doubles point,” Hansen said. “We just stayed really positive today, and we were just excited to play.”
At No. 2, Carolyn Larsen and Haley Hawkins fell, 8-2, to Bulldogs Katie Rock and Kendall Bates.
Moving on to singles, the Aggies were able to put Gonzaga away with three quick victories at No. 3 through 5 singles, and then went on to win two more matches.
Continuing her solid play at No. 3, Bennion was able to make some adjustments and score points off of her serve, going on to defeat Rock, 6-3, 6-3.
Bennion said her serve is something she has been working to improve.
“[Wright] changed it up just a little bit and now I feel more confidence in my serve,” she said.
After losing Thursday, Smith was able to bounce back at No. 4 and pick up a win of her own. Going up with a 6-3 win in the first set, Smith blanked Williams 6-0 in the second set to win the match.
In the No. 5 spot, Shelly Ferguson performed well for the Aggies, defeating Orne 6-3, 6-2. For her, patience was the biggest factor.
“I just waited for the right chance,” Ferguson said. “I didn’t go for too much. I just waited until she gave me an easier one that I was more confident with.”
Gonzaga had the most singles success at No. 1 and 2. Bauterbaugh was able to take the first set off Pollock, 7-6, in a tiebreak, but Pollock rebounded to pick up the second set, 6-3. In a third set tiebreaker, Pollock won 10-8.
Bates picked up the only Bulldog singles victory with a 6-3, 6-3 win over Larsen.
In the final match of the day, Hansen at No. 6, played singles for the first time in six matches, and picked up her first singles win of the spring.
“Andrea did a very good job stepping off the reserve role and coming in and playing a very solid match,” Wright said. “It was a really good showing for her.”
Trailing 4-1 to Katie Sanders, Hansen rebounded to win five straight games and the set, 6-4. She carried her momentum into the second set to win 6-1.
“It felt way good just to finally get back in my game,” Hansen said. “I just haven’t been myself, I didn’t feel like, in my other singles matches. I finally settled down and found my game again.”
One of the biggest factors in the victory was the team’s emotional state, Wright said. Instead of being on an emotional roller coaster, the team was steady.
“There were some momentum changes, but there weren’t the emotional ups and downs that are usually associated with that,” he said. “They did a great job, our girls did, of keeping their composure.”
Not only has the team been steady in the past two wins, but its confidence has been high. Looking to build on their new winning streak, the Aggies are hoping they can ride the confidence into their next match.
The Aggies will play their final match of a four-match home stand Tuesday against Big West Conference foe Cal State Fullerton (4-14).
“I think we’ll come out Tuesday even more pumped than we were before, just knowing that we can compete,” Hansen said. “Maybe we forgot that for a while.”
The match begins at 1 p.m. at the Sports Academy.
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