WISE, VA./HARROGATE, TENN. — THE UVA Wise women's tennis team went undefeated on the weekend against Shawnee State University (Ohio) and Bluefield College on Saturday and Sunday, taking down the Shawnee Bears by a 6-1 overall score and keeping the Bluefield Rams scoreless by a 7-0 score.
In the first match on Saturday in Wise, Va. against the Bears, the Cavaliers started doubles play with Liza Akimenko and Sarah Moore in the No. 1 spot. They kept Claire Carruthers and Elizabeth Scott scoreless and took the win 6-0. In No. 2, Katya Akimenko and Anna Hupperten took on sister duo from Shawnee's Lacy and Lexy Urban, and the Urbans were able to sneak out a 6-4 win. In the doubles finale, Sara Nichols and Lillian Morris went head-to-head with McKenzie Harman and Katelyn Pauley and forced a tiebreaker. In the tiebreaker set, the Cavalier duo took the win by a score of 8-6 — which sealed an overall doubles win for the Cavs.
In singles play, the Cavaliers went on a nearly undefeated roll, with only one loss in a three-set battle between Emily Conn and Allison Romito. L. Akimenko, K. Akimenko, Moore, Hupperten, and Grace Hall all snagged wins against their Bears opponents.
The Cavaliers came out on top, propelling over the Bears by a score of 6-1.
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In their Sunday matchup, the Cavaliers added on to their successful weekend with an unanswered win from the Bluefield College Rams, 7-0.
K. Akimenko and Hupperten began doubles play action against Abigail Martin and Camilla Coradi, and took a 6-2 win. In the next two doubles matchups, Moore and Hall received an automatic no-team win, and Conn and Morris were able to take a win by the same fate. The Cavs were able to sweep doubles play, taking the first point.
In singles, K. Akimenko faced Martin in the No. 1 spot and took two sets by scores of 6-3 and 6-3 for the win. Moore came up next to the court, and took Coradi by a 6-0 first set win and then the next set by a 6-4 win. Hupperten represented the Cavs in the third spot and snagged two quick 6-2 wins against Katharina Zausek.
For the remaining three matches for Conn, Hall, and Nichols, each Cavalier took a win by rule of a no-player.
The Cavaliers now sit at a 7-6 record and start South Atlantic Conference play on March 5 against Anderson University in Anderson, S.C.
