BELTON and GEORGETOWN, Texas – No. 22 Gustavus women's tennis began its spring break in Texas with a pair of victories, one a 6-1 win over Mary Hardin Baylor and the other a 5-2 decision over Concordia-Austin on Tuesday, March 4.
Gustavus 6, Mary Hardin Baylor 1
The Gusties opened their week in Belton, facing Mary Hardin Baylor (1-2 overall) on their home court. Gustavus swept the doubles competition, with both nationally-ranked duos of
Karina Elvestrom (Fy., Minnetonka, Minn.) and
Kaya De Bruijn (Jr., Maasland, Netherlands) winning 6-4 at No. 1 and
Molly Austin (Jr., Arden Hills, Minn.) and
Allison Szalay (Jr., Des Moines, Iowa) winning 6-2 at No. 2.
Pavla Yakimova (Jr., Glasgow, Scotland) claimed a 6-1 win with partner
Brooke Haddorff (Sr., Burnsville, Minn.) at No. 3 to earn the doubles point.
De Bruijn (No. 2), Szalay (No. 4), and Haddorff (No. 6) all claimed their singles victories in straight sets, including a 6-0, 6-0 sweep by the lone Gustie senior in the six spot. Austin won 6-3, 3-6, 6-2 at No. 3, while Yakimova went 6-4, 5-7, 6-2 at No. 5. Elvestrom dropped the only Gustie point at No. 1 singles, 4-6, 6-4, 2-6.
Gustavus 5, Concordia-Austin 2
Gustavus earned the doubles point once more against the Tornadoes (5-3, 1-0 SCAC), winning two of three matches.
Noor Omar (Fy., Fridley, Minn.) and
Madison Packer (Jr., Wadena, Minn.) won at No. 2 6-1, while
Maya Brakhage (Fy., Boulder, Colo.) and
Bethany Smith (So., Maple Grove, Minn.) claimed an identical 6-1 win at the No. 3 doubles spot. Concordia claimed the No. 1 doubles win over
Lanie Davis (Fy., St. Louis, Mo.) and
Ella De Young (So., Iowa City, Iowa) 6-3.
Davis (No. 2), De Young (No. 3), and
Rika Cross (Fy., Hemet, Calif.) (No. 6) each won their singles matches in two sets. Brakhage claimed a marathon 5-7, 6-1, 12-10 win at No. 4 to help the Gusties seal the victory. Omar dropped her first dual singles match of the season at No. 1, falling 3-6, 2-6 to Concordia's Kayla Pena, while Packer fell 6-0, 4-6, 8-10 at No. 5.
"In my 35 years of coaching, I've never played in windier conditions," commented Head Coach
Jon Carlson '88. "It was a different form of tennis yesterday than what our team or anybody is used to. To come away with both victories with everybody on the team getting match play was really inspirational. I was incredibly proud of the team for their performance in both locations. They competed with poise and they handled the wind in a calm and composed manner. We're really excited for the rest of the week, and excited for the wind to die down."
The Gusties (8-3, 2-0 MIAC) return to the court tomorrow, facing Southwestern (Texas), which started the season ranked No. 25 according to the Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA).
