In their latest match, the Lady Lions tennis team managed a miraculous win over Abilene Christian Wildcats with a final score of 4-3.  

Since the Wildcats entered the Southland Conference during the 2013-14 season, this marks the tennis team’s first victory against Abilene Christian. According to lionsports.net, a crucial aspect of the tennis team’s victory was their success at clutch singles. 

The Lady Lions took an early lead in the game when Southeastern’s No. 3 team, consisting of junior Margaux Kaltenbacher and sophomore Dany Raygadas, won the doubles point. They won it with a 6-1 victory over ACU senior Nada Marjanovic and sophomore Andrea Crook. This put the game score at 1-0 with Southeastern on top. 

Afterward, Southeastern’s No. 1 team of Dalina Dahlmans and Renee Villarreal played ACU junior Erin Walker and sophomore Whitney Williams. It ended in a 6-3 Lions victory; however, ACU managed to bring the score to 1-1. 

With the match tied, ACU surged into the singles portion winning four of the six courts they were playing. This resulted in a score of 2-1, with ACU leading. With a 6-4, 6-2 sweep of Walker, Villarreal managed to even the score to 2-2. This brings Villarreal’s record to 63-9 for singles play as a Lion. She now holds seventh place for career uncontested victories and is only one win away from being tied with multi-conference champion Jana Simurkova for sixth place in career victories.

With a straight set win on No. 3 by ACU, the Lady Lions were on the ropes and on the verge of defeat. However, sophomore Madina Vorotnikova tied up the game once more with a 6-4, 6-1 victory over Crook in the No. 6 court. After this, the fate of the match hinged on the singles match between Dahlmans and ACU senior Kaysie Hermsdorf. 

This last match seemed like it would end in ACU victory as Hermsdorf won a 6-0 victory during the first set. But, Dahlmans came back managing a 7-5 win in the second set activating a third and final one. With a score of 6-1 in the last set, Dahlmans brought the final score to 4-3.

Head tennis Coach Jason Hayes was impressed with the team’s performance, citing “heart and character” as reasons for their success. Hayes also explained what the team will focus on going forward. 

“We want to get a little better each time we step on the court, we know that we will have several tough matches next week and the only way we will be successful is if we continue to work hard and believe,” said Hayes.

For more information about the game and the tennis team, visit lionsports.net. 

 

The Lion’s Roar / Collin Guedon
Sophomore Madina Vorotnikova (above) and junior Margaux Kaltenbacher (below) in doubles play.  Vorotnikova won one of the two clutch matches down the stretch for the Lady Lions against Abilene Christian.

The Lion’s Roar / Collin Guedon