The Eastern Michigan University women’s tennis team premiered its new home courts at the Claudia Wasik Tennis Complex March 30.
The Eagles dropped to 6-11 overall and 1-2 in the Mid-American Conference with the team’s loss to the University of Toledo Rockets.
“Of course, we wanted to start on our new courts with victory, but honestly, I wasn’t even realizing that this was our first match there because we were practicing there a lot during the fall already,” EMU freshman Klara Supejova said. “The problem is that we are still getting used to playing outside in general. Since we came back from spring break, we have switched between playing inside and outside so often because the weather in Michigan isn’t steady.”
Supejova stood out for the Eagles when she won both her singles and doubles matches.
She nearly avoided Pia Rygh from Toledo with a 7-5 first set, but came back in the second with 6-0 to win the match.
Supejova teamed up with junior Nino Mebuke to be the only EMU duo to win in doubles competition. The No. 1 doubles pair beat Emily Mazzola and Lexy Pitt with an 8-5 score.
“Both of my matches were pretty good. In my single, besides one moment when I lost my concentration at score 4-1 in the first set and I had to finish the set 7-5, I controlled my match,” Supejova said. “Our double with Nino was closer and more equal than my single, but still we were able to stay calm and made less errors in important moments than our opponents. Especially when one of them seemed to be a little bit nervous in the end of the match which helped us too.”
The Eagles earned a few more wins in singles competition from sophomore Daphne Friedrichs and junior Mariya Toncheva.
Friedrichs defeated Toledo’s Pitt in two sets, each 6-2.
Toncheva went three sets (6-4, 6-7, 6-1) with Silvia Carvajal from Toledo. The first two sets were closer, but in the third set Toncheva pulled through and ended the match.
The Eagles spilt their singles competition with losses from Mebuke at No. 1 singles (6-4, 6-1), sophomore No. 3 singles Ankita Bhatia (3-6, 7-6, 7-6) and No. 5 singles junior Zsofia Biro.
Bhatia and Toncheva paired up and went 8-6 against Rocket’s pair Mackenzie Bowman and Rygh.
Biro and Friedrichs also went 8-6 when they took on Toledo’s No. 3 doubles team Katelyn Nguyen and Carvajal.
The Eagles hit the road this weekend as the team travels to both Ohio and Indiana. Friday, EMU will take on the Miami University (Ohio) RedHawks in Oxford, Ohio. Then play will continue Saturday in Muncie, Ind., against the Ball State University Cardinals.
