It was a strong weekend for Puget Sound women’s tennis as they travelled to conference rivals George Fox and Lewis & Clark, ultimately winning both matches.
Coming off of four straight losses, the tennis team was looking for some momentum as they travelled to Beaverton, Ore. to take on George Fox on Friday, Mar. 2. On the singles side, the Loggers won four of the six matches, with sophomore Logan Thompson (Decorah, Iowa), sophomore Marissa Friedman (Novato, Calif.) and freshman Josie Dow (Seattle, Wash.) each winning in straight sets. The final match was tougher, though sophomore Jenna Gerdsen (Honolulu, Hawaii) fought back after dropping her first set, finally winning the tightly-contested set 4-6, 7-6 (7-3), 6-4.
On the doubles side, the Loggers won two of the three matches played. After Dow and freshman Allison Embernate (Kihei, Hawaii) fell 8-0, their teammates came back to avenge them. Thompson and Friedman won their doubles match 8-2, and senior Ada Yu (Salem, Ore.) and junior Maddie Thiesse (Chanhassen, Minn.) cemented the Logger’s victory by winning their match 8-5. It all added up to a 6-3 combined victory by the Loggers over George Fox, halting their losing streak and giving them something to build upon as they moved forward.
The Loggers faced another test as they visited conference foe Lewis & Clark on Saturday, Mar. 3. This time around, the Loggers struggled in their doubles matches, dropping two of three matches as Lewis & Clark tried to capture its first win of the season. Only Yu and Thiesse were able to win, edging out their opponents 8-5. Luckily, the team was able to make up the difference in their singles matches. For the second straight game, Gerdsen, Thompson, Friedman and Dow were the heroes, as each of them won their matches in straight sets. Friedman was particularly dominant, winning her sets 6-0, 6-0. At the end of the day, the Loggers were able to slip by their rivals with a score of 5-4.
This week, the Loggers will return home to host conference foes Willamette and Linfield on Friday, Mar. 9 and Saturday, Mar. 10, respectively.
Over the following week, the Loggers will be able to rest up as they will be not be hosting or attending any matches during the week of spring break.
However, the team will hopefully return in tip top playing condition the following weekend Mar. 23 and 24 as they travel to play Pomona-Pitzer.
Hopefully, with some rest and constant practice, the women’s tennis team can continue to brush aside their previous losses and replace them with victories as confernce match play continues this season.
