The Lion’s Roar / Kelonda Dixon
Senior Renee Villarreal (top) and sophomore Dalina Dahlmans (bottom) helped lead the team to victory during the final match of the fall season. The duo has had success in both singles and doubles competition this fall. Villarreal entered into the Big Easy Tennis Classic undfeated in the fall season. Dahlmans has been representing Lady Lions on the no. 2 court this fall season. The pair won the final three tournaments of the fall season despite this being the first season the pair has played together as a team.
The Lady Lions tennis team won another match at the Big Easy Tennis Classic, hosted by the University of New Orleans.
The matches were held on Friday, October 23 and Saturday, October 24.
Senior Renee Villarreal and sophomore Dany Raygadas, led the team to victory by helping them win their third fall tournament.
Raygadas and sophomore Madina Vorotnikova both advanced to the finals after singles matches, despite a loss by Raygadas in the first round.
Villarreal and sophomore Dalina Dahlmans won 6-1 against the doubles team of Emma Onila and Kimmy Tweckler of Barry University.
Dahlmans strives to stay undefeated with the help of her partner Villarreal.
“Personally, my goal is to end up undefeated in doubles with my doubles partner Renee,” said Dahlmans. “We went 12-1 this fall and therefore we saw that this goal is definitely achievable. Our fight and spirit on court is phenomenal. We support each other on and off court and that’s what makes us even stronger. Everyone on the team wants to hold the Southland Conference trophy in their hands at the end of next semester and roar out loud ‘we are the champions.”’
Villarreal remains pleased with the entire team because of their success during the fall season.
“The results from this fall exceeded my expectations, not only personally, but also for the team as a whole,” said Villarreal. “I got to see our newcomers play, learn from them and to be able to help them. Our sophomores looked better this year than in their freshman year and I’m pretty sure they’ll keep improving as time passes.”
Head Coach Jason Hayes described his satisfaction with the team so far.
“It was a good weekend for us and it’s been a really good fall for the entire program. We set some high goals for this year and we’ve worked hard each day to put ourselves in position to reach those,” said Hayes.
Hayes contributes most of the team’s success to the players’ passion for the game.
“What I try to encourage is a positive environment where the players feel that they are supported,” said Hayes. “I’m lucky because I’ve got eight girls that really care about what they’re doing and they care about each other, so it actually makes my job easier because this group does not need to be motivated.”
This was the team’s final game of the fall season. Their spring season will not begin until January.
The Lady Lions will face off against Southern University on January 29, 2016 at 2:00 p.m. at the Southeastern Tennis Complex.
For more information on the team, visit lionsports.net.