(ASHLAND, Va.) – The Randolph-Macon women's tennis team got back into the win column and picked up its first ODAC triumph of the season as it hosted Bridgewater on Friday. The Yellow Jackets jumped out to a big lead with a sweep of doubles and split the singles section to take the win.
The Basics
Score: Randolph-Macon 6, Bridgewater 3
Venue: Banks Tennis Courts
Records: Randolph-Macon 3-1, 1-1 ODAC; Bridgewater 5-3, 0-2 ODAC
How It Happened
- Doubles was key to the victory as the Yellow Jackets jumped out to a big lead with a sweep in the section. Avery Smith (Sr., Walpole, Mass. / Walpole) and Grace Holderman (Jr., Roanoke, Va. / Cave Spring) started things off with a convincing 8-2 victory over Malena Hoover and Rachel Crawford at first doubles.
- Gabby Cifuentes (Sr., Stafford, Va. / Paul VI) and Rachel Johnston (Sr., Roanoke, Va. / Hidden Valley) made it a 2-0 lead, but it was one of the closest contests of the day as the pair took an 8-6 decision from Emma Nesselrodt and Grace Knighton at seconds.
- Adele Huffman (So., Granite Falls, N.C. / University Christian) and Matty Grace Gilliam (So., Murfreesboro, N.C. / Ridgecroft) closed out the sweep of the section with an 8-3 win over Emily Digneault and Ryan Roeber at third doubles.
- Singles play was loaded with close sets that could have easily swung the match in either team's favor. Smith and Holderman were involved in a pair of them with each taking three set victories. Smith defeated Hoover 6-4, 4-6, 7-6 (7-4) for a nail-biting win at first singles, while Holderman also went 2-0 on the day with a 6-1, 2-6, 7-5 win over Crawford at second singles to secure the overall team win.
- Huffman was the third Yellow Jacket with a perfect day as she finished off her opponent Grace Knighton with scores of 6-2, 6-4 at sixth singles.
- Gilliam nearly added another point to the team score, but fell to Nesselrodt 2-6, 6-1, 6-3 at fourth singles. Johnston nearly did the same, but dropped a pair of 7-6 paper-thin sets to Roeber at fifth singles.
Up Next
The Yellow Jackets are back in action Sunday as they host former conference rival Emory and Henry at 1 p.m. The match will be in conjunction with the men's team at the same time.
