Liberty University’s Women’s Tennis team earned its second victory of the season, beating Navy 6-1 in a gritty match Feb. 1. The Lady Flames demonstrated endurance, winning long rallies early on in the match.
The Lady Flames earned an early lead by winning two out of the three doubles matches, sending them into the singles contest up 1-0. Freshman Yu-Yun Chen and redshirt sophomore Daniella O’Neill earned a 6-1 victory in doubles on court one, capitalizing their play with quick shots and ending one of their games with a sharp overhead hit by O’Neill.
Freshman Celina Joseph and sophomore Sadie Daavettila were the other Lady Flames pair to win their set 6-1 on court three. After battling for control throughout the entire set, freshman Yoanna Radulova and freshman Anika Lemus fell 7-6 in a tie-breaker on court two.
“Any time you can start off 1-0 after doubles, it’s something that we want,” Head Coach Dash Connell said. “I personally think it’s really important because I think it helps develop how we want them to play their singles — just attributes you get in doubles of transitions, your serves, your return. I want our girls to focus on these things.”
The remainder of the matches went in the Lady Flames’ favor with victories in five out of the six singles matches. Chen secured her victory on court two 6-0 and 6-3. Although each set had many long rallies, Chen maintained her energy and came out on top with her tricky shot placement that benefited her play. Court three saw Radulova play a scrappy match, winning her first set 6-2 and her second 6-3 with her powerful backhand shots as an asset. Lemus, who lost her first set 6-1, bounced back to win her second set 6-4 and the tiebreaker 1-0.
Joseph played a dominant singles match on court five, winning both of her sets 6-1. Her play consisted of difficult shots and quick returns to challenge Navy’s Anna Jordaan. Court six held a nailbiter of a match with Daavettila coming out on top, winning both of her sets in tie-breaker rounds, 7-6.
The loss on court one during singles came in a tiebreaker in set three after O’Neill battled against Navy’s Emily Tannenbaum for the entire match, showcasing the power in her serves and agility in her quick movements covering the court.
Overall, the Lady Flames demonstrated endurance, both on and off the court.
“This was a good measuring stick for us because we had a tough week … dealing with illness, making sure everyone was gonna be okay,” Connell said. “We were happy to have six girls. … We talk about teamwork and grit. … This was a sign that everyone … was understanding it, getting through maybe not feeling their best but competing for the team.”
Donell said the team’s theme for the year is to get better each week. They view the season as a marathon, focusing on improving each week before every match.
“We’ll get ready for (next week’s match), take some steps, get better there,” Donnell said. “And we take it week by week from there.”
The Lady Flames’ next contest is Feb. 8 at home against Radford University at 11 a.m.
Wachowiak is a sports reporter for the Liberty Champion.