The Elon University women’s tennis team dominated in both singles and doubles to win 6-1 against the Norfolk State University Spartans.
“The team competed really well today,” head coach Elizabeth Anderson said. “They came out very focused and with a lot of energy.”
Elon won all three doubles matches to claim the doubles point, losing just five games across the three contests. Sophomore Lizette Reding and junior Sibel Tanik earned a 6-3 victory on court one to secure the doubles sweep. The pair is now 8-6 on the season and Reding said she always enjoys being partnered with Tanik.
“She’s really fun to play with,” Reding said. “She’s really good and I know we have good chemistry in doubles, which I think is really important.”
After losing all three doubles matches in its last match against College of Charleston on March 15, Anderson said she was pleased with the team’s effort in doubles against the Spartans.
“They came out there with a lot of grit and good intensity and really stuck with their patterns,” Anderson said.
The Phoenix continued its momentum into singles, as Elon won five of six matches and won every set that was completed. Sophomore Alison O’Dea retired from her match due to an injury while ahead 6-1, 3-1.
Junior Julie Ball claimed Elon’s first singles point after her opponent retired with Ball ahead 6-3, 3-0. Tanik then won 6-0, 6-4 in the number one position and senior Olivia Archer clinched the match for Elon with a 6-2, 6-3 win in the number five spot. Reding added a 6-4, 6-0 win and senior Victoria Saldh won 6-3, 6-2 in the final match to finish.
Reding said she had previously lost to her opponent, Norfolk State sophomore Amber Fuller, in a juniors match when the two were 16 years old. She said she was nervous in the beginning of the match because of the outcome of their previous meeting but settled in as the match progressed.
“She was playing really well at the beginning but then I just had to stay focused and solid,” Reding said.
Elon plays another home match tomorrow against the University of North Carolina Wilmington Seahawks, which will begin at 10 a.m. This will be Elon’s first and only home conference match.
“We’re just really looking forward to going in and competing against them,” Anderson said. “We always have really good matches with them and we’ve just got to really be focused when we go into it and locked in.”