BOWLING GREEN, Ky. – WKU Women's Tennis defeated Middle Tennessee 4-1 during Senior Day on Wednesday at the Warren County Tennis Facility at Michael O. Buchanon Park.
The win in the home finale moves WKU to 14-9 overall and 11-3 at home this spring. The 14 wins are tied for the fourth-most in a single season in program history, while the 11 home wins are the second-most in a single season in program history.
"What a great day for the program," WKU Head Coach Greg Davis said. "It started off well playing great doubles. We played extremely well at 1 doubles, and 3 doubles clinched it for us. We played very, very well today at all spots and we competed well. I think it shows the team what we're capable of going forward.
"Tough opponent coming up Monday with Florida Atlantic – a top-60 team in the country – and after that conference. We always talk about having momentum going into the conference tournament and we're looking to continue that on Monday."
Prior to the match, Anna-Marie Kopecka, Sayda Hernandez, Paola Cortez, and Samantha Martinez were recognized for Senior Day, and the Lady Toppers followed with a win over their rivals.
WKU jumped ahead early by claiming the doubles point with victories on courts 1 and 3. In No. 1 doubles, Cortez and Hernandez defeated Eloise Swarbrick and Lena Peyer 6-0, and in No. 3 doubles Sofia Blanco and Rachel Hermanova defeated Lilly-Sophie Schmidt and Ilaria Sposetti 6-3.
In singles, WKU picked up victories from Blanco, Sunskrithi Damera, and Mariana Zegada from the No. 3, 5, and 6 positions, respectively, to claim the win in the match. Blanco defeated Peyer 6-2, 6-2; Damera defeated Swarbrick 6-3, 6-1; and Zegada defeated Rutuja Chaphalkar 7-6 (7-5), 6-2 to clinch the match.
WKU will wrap up the regular season on Monday, April 15, with a 12:30 p.m. CT match against Florida Atlantic in Boca Raton, Florida, before the Conference USA Championship gets underway on Thursday, April 18, in Miami.
Final Results
Singles (Order of finish: 3, 1, 5, 6)
Sana Garakani (MTSU) def. Rachel Hermanova (WKU) 6-3, 6-4
Paola Cortez (WKU) vs. Ilaria Sposetti (MTSU) 2-6, 6-0, 6-6 (0-2), unfinished
Sofia Blanco (WKU) def. Lena Peyer (MTSU) 6-2, 6-2
Sayda Hernandez (WKU) vs. Lilly-Sophie Schmidt (MTSU) 4-6, 6-3, 4-3, unfinished
Sunskrithi Damera (WKU) def. Eloise Swarbrick (MTSU) 6-3, 6-1
Mariana Zegada (WKU) def. Rutuja Chaphalkar (MTSU) 7-6 (7-5), 6-2
Doubles (Order of finish: 1, 3)
Paola Cortez/Sayda Hernandez (WKU) def. Eloise Swarbrick/Lena Peyer (MTSU) 6-0
Samantha Martinez/Mariana Zegada (WKU) vs. Sana Garakani/Rutuja Chaphalkar (MTSU) 2-5, unfinished
Sofia Blanco/Rachel Hermanova (WKU) def. Lilly-Sophie Schmidt/Ilaria Sposetti (MTSU) 6-3
For all the latest on WKU Women's Tennis, follow @WKUTennis on Twitter and Instagram.
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