GREENSBORO, N.C. – The Guilford College women's tennis team (3-3, 0-1 ODAC) opened Old Dominion Athletic Conference (ODAC) play with a 6-1 loss to Averett University (2-1, 1-0 ODAC) on Sunday afternoon. Due to local weather conditions, the match was moved to the Piedmont Indoor Tennis Center.
The Quakers faced a tough challenge in doubles play. While the No. 1 duo of
Carolina Dirk (Port Aransas, TX) and
Erika Mendez (Asheville, N.C.) remained sharp with a commanding 6-1 victory over Brenda Poulakidas and Mirte Post, Averett took the remaining two flights, allowing the Cougars to secure the doubles point.
In singles action, Dirk provided the highlight of the day for Guilford at the No. 1 flight. She continued her win streak by delivering a 6-1, 6-1 masterclass against Dilara Sultanova to earn the Quakers' lone point of the match.
At the No. 2 position,
Ashley Belnap (Winston-Salem, N.C.) showed grit in a back-and-forth battle against Poulakidas. After dropping the first set 6-3, Belnap pushed the second set to a tiebreaker (7-6, 7-5), narrowly falling 10-7 in a highly competitive finish.
Chandler Sizemore (Sandy Ridge, N.C.),
McKenna Merritt (Dobson, N.C.),
Amy Soto Salgado (Conover, N.C.) and
Bethany Lupo (Tabor City, N.C.) all put up determined efforts in their singles matches against a consistent Averett lineup.
The Quakers will look to bounce back on Saturday, March 14th, as they travel to take on Bridgewater College. First serve is scheduled for 2:00 PM.
#GoQuakes
