GREENSBORO, N.C.- The Guilford women's tennis team continued its strong conference play on Friday afternoon, securing a 7-0 victory over Bridgewater College at the Dorothy Ragsdale McMichael '37 Centennial Class Courts. The Quakers improve to 6-3 overall and 4-1 in conference play, while riding a three-win streak. The Eagles drop to 1-7 overall and 1-2 in league play.
The Quakers wasted no time to make their mark as they claimed two of the three matches to obtain their early lead. At No. 3 doubles,
Bethany Lupo (Tabor City, N.C.) and
LaNiya Ward (Pittsburgh, Pa.) cruised to a commanding 6-0 victory over Devon Wichael and Charlotte Weaver. The No.2 pairing of
Jolie Nhouyvanisvong (Greensboro, N.C.) and
Amy Soto Salgado (Conover, N.C.) secured the doubles point for the home team with a thrilling 7-6 (7-5) win over Raea Crabill and Emma Staton in a tiebreaker. Bridgewater avoided the sweep at court one, where Sarah Slagle and Jolexie Whetzel edged out
Ashley Belnap (Winston-Salem, N.C.) and
Erika Mendez (Asheville, N.C.), 6-4.
Leading 1-0 heading into individual play, the Quakers maintained its dominance with strong performances across all courts. Belnap battled through a tightly-contested match at court one, defeating Slagle 7-5, 6-4. At No. 2, Mendez pulled off a gritty three-set win against Whetzel, taking the first set 6-4 before falling 7-6 (7-5) in the second. She rebounded in the super tiebreak, securing a hard-fought 10-5 victory. The Quakers continued to roll through the lower flights. Nhouyvanisvong dominated at No. 3, dispatching Staton 6-2 , 6-2. Soto Salgado delivered another impressive performance at No. 4, rallying from a 6-3 first-set deficit to claim a 7-6 (7-3), 6-0 win over Crabill. Lubo found herself in a three-set battle at court five but came through in the clutch, overcoming Wichael 6-1,1-6, 10-2. Ward rounded out the sweep for Guilford, defeating Weaver 6-1, 6-2 at No. 6 singles.
The women's tennis team will have a quick turnaround as they are set to play in less than 24 hours, when they travel to face Sweet Briar College, in Sweet Briar, Va. First match is set for 2 PM.
#GoQuakes
