Freshmen shine in weekend tennis
The MU women’s tennis team ended the weekend with a win.
Published March 18, 2008
After going 1-4 on their road trip last week, the Missouri women’s tennis team hoped to regroup at home this weekend.
Friday wasn’t so kind, when the Tigers lost at home for the first time this season, falling to Kansas State 5-2 at Green Tennis Center’s outdoor courts.
The Tigers took the doubles point in the match, but only managed one singles win, losing four matches in three sets and another in straight sets.
“Friday was such a heartbreaker,” coach Blake Starkey said.
But on Sunday, Missouri ended the weekend on a positive note when they hosted the No. 55-ranked Kansas Jayhawks, squeaking out a 4-3 victory.
“It was definitely the most fueled match we’ve played this year,” freshman Kaitlyn Ritchie said.
MU (9-6, 1-2 Big 12) got off to another quick start, winning at Nos. 1 and 3 in doubles to take the point.
The No. 2 team of sophomore Kaitlin Dunham and junior Sofia Ayala finished first, falling 8-2.
But the No. 3 team of junior Jessica Giuggioli and Ritchie responded by rattling off four straight games to take their match 8-5.
Last to finish was the No. 1 match, where senior Chrissy Svetlic’s soft volleys combined with freshman Mallory Weber’s powerful ground strokes to produce an important 8-6 victory.
The Tigers had momentum heading into singles but quickly lost it, dropping the first three matches.
Weber fell 6-2, 6-0 at No. 1. Dunham finished next at No. 4, losing a close match 7-5, 6-4, followed by Svetlic, who went down 6-4, 6-3 at No. 3.
Down 3-1 in the match, the Tigers had to win the three remaining singles to take the match.
Freshman Maureen Modesto answered the call.
Frustrating her opponent with tenacious defense and high topspin balls, she won 6-4, 6-2 at No. 5.
After Modesto had finished, Giuggioli was still playing her match at No. 2.
She won the first set 6-4, but dropped the second 6-2.
“I got a little bit tired in the second set,” she said after the match.
In the third, Giuggioli broke 3-2, and would cruise from there, holding the rest of her service games to take the third set 6-4 and tie the match at 3-3.
“I can’t say enough about her guts,” Starkey later commented about Giuggioli’s performance.
The whole team united to cheer for Ritchie, whose match would be the decider.
“The energy was different than anything I’ve ever played in,” she said. “It’s definitely nerve racking.”
But Ritchie came through. She won a tight first set 6-4. Then, down 1-2 in the second, Ritchie played five straight games and smacked a winning forehand down the line to break her opponent at love and win the match for Missouri.
On a day that saw many close matches, it was the newcomers that came up big in the end.
“One thing I’m really proud of is that it was our freshmen that clinched the match for us,” Starkey said. “They’re growing up.”