ST. LOUIS, MO - The Principia Women's Tennis team took on the Washington University Bears on Tuesday afternoon in St. Louis. The Wash U women have a very strong lineup and are ranked #4 in the central region for NCAA Division III (#21 in the nation). The Panthers played with grace and steel, but were only able to earn a few games in the doubles as they headed into the singles down 3-0.
"Although the team faced more experienced tennis players, it was great to see each of our players working hard and practicing their plans for the day," said Coach Carney. "It was inspiring and rewarding to look down the full row of six courts and see our team returning serves and staying in the rallies for two or three shots, running for each point. Progress was made by all."
After the #2 through #6 singles matches ended in straight set losses for the Panthers, everyone's attention turned to the close match going on at #1. After losing a tight first set 6-4, Principia's #1,
Camila Gomez, was facing a defeat down 4-1 in the second set. However, she kept fighting and really started to find her game. Gomez won three straight games to tie the set at 4 all, and then each player then held serve to force a tie-breaker.
In the second set tie-breaker, Gomez hit strong backhands to set up her crushing forehand. After she won the breaker by only giving up one point, the players started a tense 10 point breaker for the third set. The score stayed tied at each point with neither player being able to take the lead or advantage of their serves. Gomez had a match point at 9-8 but was not able to convert. At 9-9, Gomez served and her opponent netted the return. On her second match point, the two players had a long rally and moved each other around the court before Gomez forced an error, giving her the hard-fought win.
Up Next: The Panthers will travel to Illinois College in Jacksonville, Illinois on Friday, April 8th for a 6 PM start.
FULL MATCH RESULTS:
