Tennis Hosts Friday Doubleheader
February 19, 2015 12:30 PM | General
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| At the No. 1 doubles position, the tandem of senior Ikttesh Chahal and junior Hailey Barrett recorded a perfect 4-0 mark last weekend. |
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – The West Virginia University women’s tennis team hosts its third doubleheader of the season on Friday, Feb. 20, as the Mountaineers prepare for Wright State at noon and UMBC at 4 p.m. at Ridgeview Racquet Club.
“It is always important to remember that doubleheaders are not easy to play. We are facing two teams in one day, and we have a challenge to stay mature, have fast starts to matches and compete well when we are ahead in matches,” said second-year coach Miha Lisac. “We cannot let opponents gain ground on us if we find ourselves head. We made progress last week, but there is still work to be done.”
WVU also played doubleheaders on Friday and Sunday last week. In those four matches, the Mountaineers gave up just two match points, as the team recorded four straight victories to move to 7-1 on the season. The last time WVU has won seven straight was during Big East play in the 2010 season under coach Marc Walters.
Freshman Habiba Shaker leads the team with seven wins in singles play, as she tallied a perfect 4-0 mark at home last weekend. Shaker also has a team-best 9-0 mark in doubles, teaming up with junior Hailey Barrett, as well as freshmen Lyn Yuen Choo and Yvon Martinez throughout the spring.
Freshman Carolina Lewis has won five straight singles matches with appearances at the No. 5 and No. 6 position. Sophomore Kaja Mrgole has won five of her last six singles matches at the No. 1 slot, and the doubles tandem of Barrett and senior Ikttesh Chahal recorded a perfect 4-0 mark at the No. 1 position last weekend.
WVU is 3-0 all-time against Wright State. The Raiders hold a 3-3 mark this season, and are coming off a 4-3 loss to IPFW on February 8. At the No. 6 position, Linsey Verstrepen holds a team-best 5-1 record in singles play. Playing primarily at the No. 4 slot, Karoline Haller has won five straight for the Raiders. The No. 1 duo of Aby Madrigal and Tori Turner are 3-3 on the year.
The Mountaineers will meet UMBC for the first time in head-to-head competition this spring. The Retrievers (2-4) are coming off a 5-2 loss to Drexel on February 14.
“Our expectations are to continue to get better throughout the season. We have been making progress, which is always good to see and the challenge becomes to sustain the focus through the middle part of the season and continue to get better. There is a lot of work that we have ahead of us in doubles,” Lisac stated.
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