HILTON HEAD, S.C. – The Baldwin Wallace University women's tennis team wrapped up its spring break trip with two victories against St. John Fisher (N.Y.) College and NCAA Division II Albany State (Ga.) University.
BW (6-4) defeated St. John Fisher (9-7) by a score of 8-1 and then backed it up with a 7-1 win over Albany State (5-8) in the afternoon.
The morning match started out a little differently with singles taking the court first as the men's team started with doubles. BW was not fazed by the change in routine and won five of the six matches, already securing the team win before the start of doubles. Freshman Ashtyn Morris (Salem) only surrendered one game in her 6-0, 6-1 win at No. 3 singles while fellow freshman Jayde Robinson (Cincinnati/School for Creative & Performing Arts) soon followed with a victory at No. 1 singles by a score of 6-2, 6-1. Freshman Becca Liebler (Medina) earned the Yellow Jackets third point of the morning despite initially trailing 3-1 in the first set. The freshman ripped off nine consecutive games to win the first set and take a 4-0 lead in the second. However, her opponent attempted to make a comeback but Liebler was able to hold her off for a 6-3, 6-4 victory at No. 4. Senior Academic All-Ohio Athletic Conference player Kayla Eeg (Waterford, Pa./General McLane) brought BW within one point of the team with solid 6-2, 6-3 scores at No. 6 while senior Shannon Finkenthal (Beachwood) had to fight for a 2-6, 7-6(3), 13-11 win at No. 5 singles.
Strong winds marked doubles play and presented an extra challenge for the Yellow Jackets, one they adjusted to well. Morris and Liebler continued their strong doubles play on the trip by breezing to an 8-1 victory at No. 2 doubles. Jayde Robinson and sister junior All-Ohio Athletic Conference player Imani Robinson (Cincinnati/School for Creative & Performing Arts) beat their Cardinal opponents by a score of 8-5, leaving Finkenthal and junior Kathleen Moser (Strongsville) as the last two on the courts. The No. 3 doubles pair battled through serving issues due to the strong wind but were able to hold on for an 8-4 win.
In the second match, the Robinson sisters dominated Albany State, not allowing a single game in an 8-0 victory. One court over, Morris and Liebler capped off their spring break week with a perfect 5-0 record at No. 2 doubles with an 8-1 win, giving the Yellow Jackets a 2-1 lead heading into singles.
Morris and Liebler continued their dominance into singles play and did not allow a single game between the two of them, winning 6-0, 6-0 at both No. 3 and No. 4 singles. The other three completed singles matches were more competitive but the Yellow Jackets were up to the challenge. Jayde Robinson and Finkenthal had identical 7-5, 6-4 scores at No. 1 and No. 5 singles while Imani Robinson had to grind out a 3-6, 6-4, 10-6 victory at No. 2.
BW will have a few weeks before hitting the courts on Saturday, March 24, when the Yellow Jackets open OAC action by hosting Marietta College at 1 p.m. on the Pop Collins Tennis Courts.
