Breann Lujan-Halcon
Blujanha@uwyo.edu
Cowgirls tennis could not get into the swing of things against the number four ranked Georgia Bulldogs. Wyoming, 2-2, and ranked 74th, dropped the ITA Kickoff Weekend Opener 4-0 in Athens, Georgia at the Dan Magill Tennis Complex Friday.
“The team is coming along and we are starting to play UW tennis the right way,” Wyoming head coach Dean Clower told GoWyo.com following Friday’s match. “We need to regroup and play the same way against a good Tulane team tomorrow.”
Starting up in doubles the Cowgirls fell short in two of the three matchups, leaving the third match to go unfinished between Wyoming juniors Miranda Talbert and Dorottya Jonas and Georgia’s Silvia Garcia and Carolina Brinson at 4-3, Georgia. First slot duo, sophomore Magdalena Stencel and senior Nastya Tokareva were overtaken 6-3. In the final slot freshman Elisa Koonik and freshman Sanne Hoekstra were outmatched by the No. 14 ranking team Ellen Perez and Mariana Gould 6-2.
The first and third slot victories gave Georgia the starting advantage over Wyoming with the doubles point.
The Cowgirls faced nationally ranked opponents in four out of the five single match slots. Georgia took wins in the four, three, and two slot, the rest went unfinished as Georgia gained their fourth point in the second position to take the match.
Ranked 109 Kennedy Shaffer took Koonik in straight sets 6-1, 6-1 in the fourth slot. In the third slot the number 82 ranked Silvia Garcia defeated Jonas 6-1, 6-2. Sealing off the win for the Bulldogs was the No. 22 ranked Caroline Brinson who beat out Tokareva 6-1, 6-2.
Stencel went toe-to-toe against the No. 12 ranked Perez and was behind when the match was called 6-2, 6-5 in the first single slot.
Talbert was only on her first match when the Bulldogs clinched the win and Hoekstra did not get a chance to go up against her opponent.
The Bulldog win pushed their team into the championship match Sunday and pushed the Cowgirls into consolation rounds. Georgia went up against Old Dominion (No. 57) and took the win 4-0. The Bulldogs will go on to ITA National Team Indoor Championship for their 27th time in 29 seasons. The tournament will take place in February at the University of Wisconsin.
