NEWPORT NEWS, Va. -- The nationally-ranked Christopher Newport women's tennis team made quick work of both Southern Virginia University (9-2, 1-1) and Frostburg State University (3-6, 0-3) with a pair of 9-0 shutouts. The Captains improved to 8-3 overall with a 2-0 start to conference play after the two wins on the James T. and Sarah C. Eyre Courts.
The matches, which served as Senior Day for one of the most accomplished senior classes in program history, were played on a brisk spring day on the CNU campus. Senior
Emily Morgan won both of her singles bouts and her one doubles appearance on the day to highlight the Captains' fourth-year performances.
The Captains faced a Southern Virginia squad that came into the match with a 9-1 overall record, but CNU cruised to the win with just five game losses in singles and only three in doubles.
Seniors
Alexandra Drye and
McKinney Harwood won, 8-2, against Rachel Christensen and Elizabeth Fuchs on the top line, and another senior tandem, Morgan and
Isabelle Wessel, won at No. 2. The second pairing shut out Audrey McBride and Natalie Tetterton, 8-0, as CNU raced out to a 3-0 lead after doubles. The final team point in doubles came when rookie
Kara Ferner paired with sophomore
Colette Gilbert for a convincing 8-1 win over Makaela Adamson and Mercedes Matley.
In singles play, four of the eight seniors came away with victories.
Kate Huck won at No. 2 against Christensen (6-0, 6-0); Wessel downed McBride at No. 3 (6-0, 6-0);
Meili Konell dropped Lauren Morrison at No. 4 (6-0, 6-1); and Morgan managed a clean win against Adamson (6-0, 6-0).
Rounding out the win was CNU's top player at No. 1,
Johanna Ranta-aho, with a 6-0, 6-0 win over Fuchs, and junior
Lily Schreiber capturing a 6-2, 6-2 win over Tetterton at No. 5.
In the second match of the day, head coach
David Weiner shuffled the lineup against the Bobcats, ensuring that all eight seniors would pick up at least one win on their Senior Day. At No. 2 doubles,
Claire Dockrill and
Kristi Wong earned an 8-0 shutout over Allison Paul and Sophia Staggers to make it a clean sweep for the octet of veterans.
Frostburg State fell to 3-6, 0-3 after the match. The Captains surrendered only five total games, all in just two matches of singles play. All three doubles bouts ended 8-0 in favor of the Captains as Drye and Harwood made it a 2-0 day with the win at No. 1, and rookies
Veronika Jacobson and
Sydney Sawyer paired for their first career duals wins at No. 3.
In singles, Ranta-aho improved to 8-3 on the season at No. 1 duals with a 6-0, 6-0 win over Kate Paylor. Konell picked up her second shutout win with a 6-0, 6-0 victory over Jenna Lipinski at No. 2, while Wong also secured a shutout win for the senior class at No. 6 over Elizabeth Mott. Also blanking her opponent was
Kara Ferner, who dropped Sophia Staggers at No. 5 singles.
The Captains will now travel to Fredericksburg, Va. on Sunday to take on nationally-ranked Mary Washington in the third CAC bout of the weekend.
