WKU Women’s Tennis secured a 6-1 win against Tennessee State on Monday at the Warren County Tennis Facility at Michael O. Buchanon Park in Bowling Green, Kentucky. With this victory, the Lady Toppers improved their season record to 8-6, while Tennessee State fell to 0-6.
The match began with WKU winning the doubles point after victories by the pairs of Barbara Olvera/Virginia Madueño and Isabelle Einess/Elizabeth Sobieski. In singles play, wins were recorded by Isabelle Einess, Virginia Madueño, Andra Sirbu, Barbara Olvera, and Ariadna Fernandez at positions No. 1, 3, 4, 5, and 6 respectively.
In individual matches:
– Isabelle Einess defeated Julie Tungamarial (TSU) 6-2, 6-0.
– Victoria Cooksey (TSU) beat Emily Schut (WKU) 6-4, 3-6, 10-7.
– Virginia Madueño won over Natalie Walsh (TSU) in a three-set match.
– Andra Sirbu secured her match against A. Arrieta Castillo (TSU).
– Barbara Olvera claimed victory after Claudia Murdasanu retired.
– Ariadna Fernandez did not drop a game in her straight sets win over Taylor Ellis (TSU).
The Lady Toppers are now on a two-match winning streak and have posted a home record of 6-3 this season. They are also currently on a six-match homestand where they have defeated Butler, Belmont, and Tennessee State.
Historically, WKU has dominated Tennessee State with an all-time record of 34 wins and one loss against the Tigers. The team has now won their last 29 encounters with Tennessee State.
This season marks the sixth time WKU has won the doubles point; they remain undefeated when securing that early advantage. The pairings of Olvera/Madueño and Einess/Sobieski continue to show strong performances in doubles matches.
Individually:
– Virginia Madueño extended her singles winning streak to eleven matches for a personal college record of 12 wins and one loss.
– Coach Greg Davis now holds 345 career coaching wins and is close to becoming second all-time in program history for most coaching victories at WKU.
Following the win Coach Davis said: “Good win for us. I think this is eight out of the last 11 matches after we started off 0-3 this year. To go 8-3 in the next 11 matches – we’re starting to play better. I really think we’ve still got a lot left in the tank. I think we can still improve another 30–40% between now and the end of the season, so that’s exciting. That part of it is very exciting. Some really difficult matches ahead coming up, one being Ball State coming in here Thursday. They’re a team that has good wins over Cincinnati and Cornell so far this season. They’re an extremely good team. Then, the following week, to have Sam Houston coming in – our first conference match – that’s going to be difficult. These next two matches are going to be a real test.”
Andra Sirbu commented on her performance: “Staying calm was one of the things, going out there and competing and fighting and being present on the court and active.”
Freshman Virginia Madueño shared her approach: “I try to have fun in every match and just keep fighting until the end, and supporting my team. I think that’s the best.”
Next up for WKU Women’s Tennis is Ball State on Thursday as part of their ongoing homestand.
