ELSAH, IL – The Principia Women's Tennis team welcomed the University of Health Sciences & Pharmacy to Hexberg for a dual match to begin their spring season. UHSP only has four players, so Principia began the match up 3-0 and was able to win five of their six matches for an 8-1 victory.
Freshman Saray Cisneros won both of her matches with her strong ground strokes moving her opponent around the court and hitting winners off both her forehand and backhand. She and her doubles partner, fellow freshman Kimbeley Peterson, won their match decisively at 8-1. At first doubles, junior Bissola Lassissi and sophomore Veronica Volkart faced a strong team with forceful backhand returns. This was the pair's first time playing together and they look forward to continual improvement. The Panthers as a whole will keep working on having consistent serving patters and consistent returns.
In singles, Principia won all four matches by only giving up a game or two in each set. At #1 singles, Lassissi hit crushing backhands winners down the line after opening up the court. Cisneros played strong tennis at #2, keeping to steady cross court patterns. After sitting out doubles, captains Kelsie Huss and Ruth Hummell joined in for singles. Huss played at #3 and continued her streak of winning at least one of her sets without dropping a game, defeating her opponent 6-0, 6-1. Hummell played #4 and relied on her steady game to win most of the points, using deft lobs when her opponent charged the net.
This is an exciting team to watch and they bring a lot of joy to the game. They are finding purpose from a Serena Williams quote about inspiring each other to do their best and raising each other up to be strong, kind, and humble. They are grateful to be part of this team and working together to achieve their goal of qualifying for the NCAA Tournament.
Up Next: The team is away next weekend at DePauw University in Indiana, but they will be back home for matches on February 17 and 18. Come out and support the team!
