ARKADELPHIA, AR – Tarleton State Tennis secured its first win of the season Thursday afternoon by taking the opening game of the Ouachita Baptist Quad with eight wins of the nine total matches.
The No. 2 and 3 doubles pairings for the TexAnns got Tarleton started the right way as both teams earned 8-2 wins, courtesy of
Ellie Stevens and
Gabriella Jansson in the No. 2 match and
Erika Richarme and
Ariadna Cabezas-Marti in the No. 3.
Luiza Ferraro-Adas and
Ashleigh Elward suffered the only loss of the day in the top-rated doubles match 6-8.
"We made a good effort in doubles, but we couldn't overcome all the unforced errors in the No. 1 match," said head coach
Lance Drake. "I thought we played much better today at No. 2 with Ellie playing very well and both girls serving well. We were solid at No. 3. Ariadna returned well and gave Erika some good looks at the net."
In singles action, Tarleton State swept the singles field with little resistance.
Richarme and Elward locked down the No. 1 and 2 positions, respectively, and won 6-4, 6-0 and 6-2, 6-1 while Ferraro-Adas claimed the No. 3 match 6-2, 6-2. Stevens made the quickest work of her opponent, finishing first with a 6-0, 6-1 win.
Cabezas-Marti was the second finisher for Tarleton out of the No. 6 match with a 6-2, 6-2 win and
Gabriella Jansson battled to earn a 7-5, 6-2 win in the No. 5 match.
"Our singles game improved with smarter point construction," said Drake. "Ellie had a solid day on the court and showed a little of what she is capable of. Gabriella had some struggles early, but was able to make some court adjustments. I am happy with the fact she was stronger in the second set than in the first."
Tarleton will continue playing at the Ouachita Baptist Quad this weekend, moving on to play Southwest Baptist tomorrow at 8 a.m.
"We have a tough day ahead of us tomorrow," said Drake. "We have a few injury concerns, but we'll see how it goes. Southwest Baptist is highly rated and Delta State has a good tradition. This tournament is going to be a tough test for us."
