KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – The Eagles of Carson-Newman women's tennis (2-1, 0-0 SAC) started their day off sweeping Belmont Abbey 7-0 before taking Tennessee Wesleyan (1-2, 0-0 AAC) to the limit Saturday night, winning 5-2 to go 2-0 on the day and 2-1 overall on the new 2021 season.
Saturday marked the first time Carson-Newman and Tennessee Wesleyan had met since Saturday, February 22, 2020 when Carson-Newman welcomed Tenn. Wesleyan to Mossy Creek and won 5-2.
As both teams are still in the process of getting used to the unusual nature of playing in 2021, the Eagles took the early match momentum by gaining the valuable doubles point to take the early 1-0 match advantage. C-N gained the edge with victories in both no. 2 and no. 3 doubles by scores of 6-0 and 7-5.
When it came to singles play, senior Hannah Price (Knoxville, Tenn.) and freshman Julia Speiser were crucial wins to help the Eagles overcome the Bulldogs. Price, at the no. 3 singles, battled her way to a 6-1, 10-2 victory while Speiser, the no. 6 singles, continued her Eagle career with a 6-2, 6-2 singles victory. These were the two crucial match points going the way of the Eagles, despite the overall team defeat. Teammates Violetta Khismova and Summer Reeves were the other singles victories which gave the Eagles their 5-2 edge and a second win on a wild Saturday.
Junior Ana Carla Resende (Minas Gerais, Brazil), the preseason first-team singles All-SAC selection, seems to have gained her confidence back. Resende started off 2021 with a rare single loss against Union (Ky.) and the same happened Saturday night. Resende, now 21-8 at the no. 1 singles player, fell by scores of 6-4, 4-6, 8-10 which was one of only two total losses for Eagles in singles play. The Eagles only saw a loss come from no. 5 singles in which sophomore Natasha Forrest fell in a three-set stunner 6-3, 1-6, 7-10 to her Bulldog opposition.
Moving forward to next weekend, C-N head back to Knoxville for the third straight time for a battle with the Austin Peay Governors. Opening serve on Feb. 20 is set for 2 p.m. against Austin Peay from the Knoxville Racquet Club.
-CN-
