WISE, Va. – For the first time in the last 13 seasons, Carson-Newman women's tennis (9-2, 3-0 SAC) has started off conference play with a perfect 3-0 record. The Eagles were on the road once more Saturday as they faced off with the host UVA Wise Cavaliers (7-9, 0-3 SAC) as they left Wise with a 6-1 win and move their win streak in 2022 to seven straight.
The Eagles have not lost since Feb. 17 when they were defeated by DIII powerhouse Sewanee. Saturday's match also saw a rarity for the Eagles as senior Ana Carla Resende (Minas Gerais, Brazil) would sit out and not take to the courts in either singles or doubles.
In Saturday's doubles, it was a clean sweep of all three matches by C-N as they held the early 1-0 advantage. In number one doubles, Hannah Price (Knoxville, Tenn.) and Natasha Forrest (Jersey, United Kingdom) played to a 6-2 win as they got the wins rolling in early for the Eagles. From there, number two doubles saw Violetta Khisamaova (Yaroslavl, Russia) and Julia Speiser move up one position, but still come out on top 6-1.
The new Eagles pairing which was showcased Saturday was that of Summer Reeves (Maidstone, Kent, England) and Maria Ulloa (Cuba) who claimed a 6-0 win to give C-N all three doubles results and the 1-0 lead.
As singles play started, the Eagles had no trouble continuing their momentum and winning all but one singles match.
The lone win for the Cavaliers came from the racquet of Liza Akimenko in number one singles as she defeated Reeves by scores of 6-2, 6-4. However, the Eagles got back on the winning track as Khisamaova kept the winning ways of 2022 alive with a 6-3, 6-0 win at number two singles.
Hannah Price was in number three singles Saturday as she did not drop a single game as she won 6-0, 6-0 and made it 3-0 in favor of C-N. She was soon joined in the win column by her doubles partner, Natasha Forrest, who would win 6-0, 6-3 from number four singles.
The final two singles matches Saturday saw Julia Speiser play in number five position while Maria Ulloa made another appearance, this time at number six singles. First, Speiser would pull out a near perfect win as she dropped one game on her way to a 6-1, 6-0 win. Finally, Ulloa came out strong and helped C-N secure the 6-1 team win with her 6-0, 6-1 result in number six singles.
Carson-Newman is back at home for the first time since March 5 when they host the 2022 version of the east Tennessee tussle between the Eagles and Railsplitters of Lincoln Memorial. First serve takes place at 2:00 p.m. from the Buddy Catlett Tennis Complex in Jefferson City, Tenn.
Be sure to keep up with all things Carson-Newman women's tennis at cneagles.com and via all social media accounts.
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