Box Score GREENSBORO, N.C. – In a hard-fought Old Dominion Athletic Conference (ODAC) battle, the Guilford College women's tennis team secured a thrilling 4-3 victory over Roanoke College on Saturday afternoon at the Piedmont Indoor Tennis Center. The Quakers (5-3, 3-1 ODAC) picked up their third conference win of the season, overcoming the Maroons (1-7, 0-1 ODAC) in a tightly contested match that came down to the wire.
Originally scheduled to be played outdoors at the Dorothy Ragsdale McMichael '37 Centennial Class Courts, the match was moved indoors due to poor weather conditions. Despite the change in venue, Guilford started strong, taking two of three doubles matches to gain an early edge.
At No. 1 doubles, the duo of
Ashley Belnap (Winston-Salem, N.C.) and
Erika Mendez (Asheville, N.C.) delivered a clutch 6-4 victory over Lia Striebich and Raygan Wade.
Bethany Lupo (Tabor City, N.C.) and
LaNiya Ward (Pittsburgh, Pa.) followed with a strong performance at No. 3, defeating Sidney Wright and Camryn Breedlove 6-3 to clinch the doubles point for the Quakers. Roanoke avoided the sweep at No. 2 doubles, where Julia Bassett and Victoria Rios overpowered
Jolie Nhouyvanisvong (Greensboro, N.C.) and
Chandler Sizemore (Sandy Ridge, N.C.), 6-0.
Heading into singles play, Belnap fought through a grueling three-set match at the top of the lineup, ultimately prevailing 6-3, 5-7, 10-5 against Striebich in a deciding tiebreak. Mendez turned in the most dominant performance of the day at No. 2 singles, cruising past Wade 6-0, 6-1.
Amy Soto Salgado (Conover, N.C.) delivered another key win for Guilford at No. 5, taking down Wright 6-3, 6-2. Roanoke picked up points at No. 3, No. 4, and No. 6 singles to keep the match close. Nhouyvanisvong battled in a back-and-forth match at No. 3 but fell just short in a 4-6, 6-3, 8-10 loss to Bassett. Sizemore pushed her opponent to the limit at court four but dropped a 3-6, 6-3, 7-10 decision to Rios. In flight 6, Lupo fought hard but was unable to overcome Breedlove, falling 4-6, 2-6.
With the victory, the women's tennis team continues their strong start to ODAC as they return home on March 21st, as they prepare to face Bridgewater College. Start time is set for 2 PM
#GoQuakes
