WKU Tennis sweeps IUPUI for fourth straight win

BOWLING GREEN, Ky. – WKU Women’s Tennis swept IUPUI 7-0 on Sunday at the WKU Tennis Complex.

The win was the fourth straight for the Lady Toppers, who are now 6-1 at home and 7-5 overall this season.

“I thought we played well,” WKU Head Coach Greg Davis said. “It was our first match outside, so we were getting adjusted to the wind and the sun, but anytime we can get out this early in March and play an outside match I think will pay dividends down the road because a lot of schools we play haven’t had a chance to play outside yet.

“Really tough opponent coming up this Wednesday in Bellarmine. They’ve had great wins already this season over Louisville and Middle Tennessee, so we’ve got a lot of respect for their program. We know it’s going to be a very difficult match, much like we had with Wyoming and much like we had with Belmont. It’s going to be a very challenging match on Wednesday.”

After knocking off Belmont in a 4-3 thriller on Saturday, WKU started Sunday’s match by claiming the doubles point. The Lady Toppers won No. 3 doubles by default and the duo of Paola Cortez and Anna-Marie Kopecka defeated Chloe Bailey and Elle Kotre 6-1.

“I think our key was not letting ourselves down, even if yesterday we had a tough match,” Cortez said. “Today we came still hungry for the win and with a lot of energy on every single court. I think that was very important.”

Cortez, Sofia Blanco, Rachel Hermanova, Sayda Hernandez, and Sunskrithi Damera each won singles matches against the Jaguars (3-6). The Lady Toppers won No. 6 singles by default. Cortez defeated Emma Dell 6-3, 6-1; Blanco defeated Bailey 6-1, 6-0; Hermanova defeated Kotre 6-1, 6-2; Hernandez defeated Gabbie Orlando 6-0, 6-0; and Damera defeated Sofia Castillo 6-1, 6-0.

“It was just keeping the momentum we had yesterday and just being consistent and staying focused on what the goal is overall,” Hernandez said. “That helped me a lot and all of us as well to just make the one extra ball in to win the point and win the match overall.”

The Lady Toppers will remain home for their next two matches, starting with a 1:30 p.m. CT meeting with Bellarmine on Wednesday, March 6.

Final Results
Singles (Order of finish: 6, 2, 3, 4, 5, 1)
Paola Cortez (WKU) def. Emma Dell (IUPUI) 6-3, 6-1
Sofia Blanco (WKU) def. Chloe Bailey (IUPUI) 6-1, 6-0
Rachel Hermanova (WKU) def. Elle Kotre (IUPUI) 6-1, 6-2
Sayda Hernandez (WKU) def. Gabbie Orlando (IUPUI) 6-0, 6-0
Sunskrithi Damera (WKU) def. Sofia Castillo (IUPUI) 6-1, 6-0
Samantha Martinez (WKU) def. No Player (IUPUI) by default
Doubles (Order of finish: 3, 1)
Paola Cortez/Anna-Marie Kopecka (WKU) def. Chloe Bailey/Elle Kotre (IUPUI) 6-1
Sofia Blanco/Sayda Hernandez (WKU) vs. Emma Dell/Gabbie Orlando (IUPUI) 5-3, unfinished
Rachel Hermanova/Samantha Martinez (WKU) def. No Player by default