SPARTANBURG, S.C.—The Carson-Newman women's tennis team completed the heavy dose of competition this weekend with its second 9-0 sweep in as many days as the Eagles took down the Valkyries from Converse Sunday afternoon to record their fourth win of the season.
For the second consecutive day, the Eagles (4-1) jumped out to an early 3-0 lead by taking all three doubles contest in the first round of play.
Ali Harris (Crosssville, Tenn.) and Patricia Guerreiro (Portugal) kicked things off for the visiting Carson-Newman club with an 8-2 win in the first-seeded match. Jill Corsato-Owsianka (Germany) and Brooke Sanderson (Evans, Ga.) followed up at No. 2 doubles with an 8-5 victory and Gabrielle Wood (Woodstock, Ga.) and Hannah Ayers (Woodstock, Ga.) finished off the double segment with a 9-7 win I the third match.
As has been the case in doubles play of late, Carson-Newman took care of business again on Sunday by not allowing a singles loss on the day.
Harris began the round of singles with a 6-1, 6-2 win over Alex Schlesener at No. 1 and was then followed by Sanderson's 6-3, 7-5 two-set victory over Kaitlin Knight in the second-seeded matchup.
Wood then continued the surge with a 6-1, 6-3 win in the third match and Haleigh Chastain (Knoxville, Tenn.) picked up her first win of the season 6-6, 6-1 over Taylor Barr in No. 4 singles.
Mallory Jackson (Erwin, Tenn.) then made her season-debut in the No. 5 spot and picked up a 6-4, 6-0 win over her Valkyrine (3-3) counterpart. Ayers concluded Sunday's action with a 6-1, 6-0 defeat of Caroline Bertling in the sixth-places singles contest.
"The women played well today as doubles started things off," coach Jean Love said. "We followed with a quick win at No. 4 singles by Haleigh [Chastain]. Ali [Harris] was very solid at No. 1 singles. She returned serves well against a big server and also served well herself and that just took her opponent out of rhythm. Hannah [Ayers] and Mallory [Jackson] earned their first singles victories of the season today. Then Brooke [Sanderson] out hit her opponent in a hard fought match. The Gabrielle [Wood] victory finished off the match."
After losing in heartbreak fashion in the second match of the season at Newberry on Feb. 21, the Eagles have rebounded to take three-straight wins over the weekend to put them at a 4-1 record on the year.
Carson-Newman will take a much deserved day off before jumping back into South Atlantic Conference play on Tuesday against Tusculum at the Buddy Catlett Tennis Complex beginning at 2:00 p.m.
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