BY ANDREW HALE, SPORTS ASSIGNEMNT EDITOR
After playing their first six matches on the road, the St. Bonaventure men’s and women’s tennis teams returned home to compete in their first home matches of the season.
The women’s team competed twice over the weekend, beating Slippery Rock 5-2 on Saturday and defeating Mercyhurst 7-0 on Sunday. The men, who only played on Sunday, beat Mercyhurst by a score of 6-1.
The women’s doubles started Saturday’s contest by winning all three doubles matches against Slippery Rock. Junior Anastasia Gubanova and freshman Isabella Venter were victorious at No. 1 doubles 6-3. Senior Amelia Haley and sophomore Alexandra Jansson took No. 2 doubles 6-4. Freshmen Kelly Barnes and Sienna Smith beat Slippery Rock 7-6 at the third and final doubles match.
Similar success was found in singles for the women as they won five out of seven matches. Jansson picked up the win in No. 1 singles besting Adriana Gonzalez 6-2, 6-2. In No. 3 singles, Venter defeated Slippery Rock’s Dari Sakhanova 6-1, 6-0. Smith and Barns were victorious in No. 5 and No. 6 singles taking wins by scores of 6-3, 6-0 and 6-4, 4-6, 10-8, respectively.
While facing some adversity throughout the season, Barns looks to continue to stay level-headed during her matches.
“This season, I look to improve on the mental side of my game,” Barns said. “Tennis is one of the most mental sports and sometimes I struggle to get out of my own head. This will lead to better performance, so I am able to drive the ball and have more confidence.”
After a big performance on Saturday, the women entered Sunday’s matchup versus Mercyhurst with a win under their belt.
The Gubanova and Venter pairing picked up their second doubles win in as many days beating Mercyhurst 6-1 in No. 1 doubles. Barns and Smith also picked up their second doubles win of the weekend winning No. 3 doubles 6-1.
While the Brown and White swept Slippery Rock in doubles on Saturday, the Bonnies swept Mercyhurst in singles winning six of six on Sunday. Jansson, Haley, Venter, Gubanova, Smith and Barnes all won their respective singles matches against Mercyhurst.
Many players had a multi-victory weekend, including Barns.
“I think overall my performance was solid,” Barns said. “I definitely had my ups and downs during the matches, but in the end, I was able to come out on top in all four of my matches.”
Like the women, the men also won two of three doubles matches over Mercyhurst. Junior Jean Marrero and freshman Rasmus Egehus took No. 1 doubles 6-1 over the Lakers. Freshman Anargha Ganguly and junior Norka Sanchez were victorious with a score of 6-2 in No. 3 doubles.
As for singles, the Bonnies won all but one singles match. Egehus and freshman Connor Turner won No. 1 and No. 2 singles 6-2, 6-3 and 3-6, 6-4, 7-6, respectively. Marrero took No. 4 singles 7-5, 6-2 and junior Luke Young won 3-6, 6-3, 10-5 in No. 5 singles. Sanchez finished the weekend for the Bonnies with a 6-2, 6-2 victory in No. 6 singles.
The team’s camaraderie was on full display during the men’s and women’s victories.
“We gave it our all and fought to the end of each match,” Barns said. “We were all cheering each other on and pumping each other up. This is one of our biggest strengths as a team because we are such a close-knit group. We all had some good wins which will hopefully give us confidence for the rest of the season.”
The women have another home double-header on Saturday and Sunday as they face Bucknell and Saint Francis (PA). The men’s team will also take on the Red Flash Sunday afternoon.
halea22@bonaventure.edu
