Dominate Singles Play Gives Spartans Big Win Over UTD

Tampa, Fla. - The University of Tampa's Women's Tennis team was back on the court this afternoon after a short break from matches. The Spartans were hungry to get back on track and snap their three match skid. Tampa hosted the Comets of Texas-Dallas in what was a perfect day for tennis at the Naimoli and Young Tennis Complex. While the Spartans were given a head start they still chose to come out swinging and controlled the match from the start. 

Final: University of Tampa Spartans 6, University of Texas-Dallas Comets 1

Location: Naimoli and Young Tennis Complex | Tampa, Fla.

Records: Tampa (2-6), Texas-Dallas (2-4)

History: This was the first ever matchup between these two programs, Tampa now leads the all-time series 1-0. 

How it Happened: 

In a match where almost everything seemed to go the Spartans way, they defended home court with domination. Due to a Texas-Dallas forfeit on court three, the Spartans went up 1-0 in doubles play to start the match. The Spartans top pair of Gutkowski/Sanchez went right to work, taking an early 3-0 lead on their opponents for putting them away 6-2.This turned out to be the key win for Tampa as the Comets were able to take court two in a gritty 6-4 battle. Despite the court two loss, Tampa won doubles 2-1 and went into singles play with a one point lead. Texas-Dallas had to forfeit court six, giving the Spartans a 2-0 advantage before anyone had even served in singles. Court five saw one of the longest matches of the year between Regina Davalos and her Comet counterpart, with the third set totaling 16 points. UTD was able to win that electric third set 10-6 to win the court and earn their lone point of the match. While Davalos was not able to win her match, her Spartan teammates picked her up and dominated every court. Nicole Cierniak, Ida Axelsson, L Eriksson Sundling, and Alexandra Chebli all swept their opponents 2-0. They all did so by outscoring UTD 42-5 in said matches and Sundling won her games 6-0, 6-0. This outstanding performance earned Tampa the overall match win and a lot of confidence moving forward. 

Doubles Results: 

1.  Sophia Gutkowski/Victoria Sanchez (UT) def. Jhastine Red Ballado/Elsha Valluru (UTD) 6-2

2. Kendall Curley/Chloe O'Connor (UTD) def. Tal Zinn/Sophie Wagner (UT) 6-4

3. Alexandra Chebli/Regina Davalos (UT) def. No Player/No Player (UTD), by forfeit

Singles Results: 

1. Nicole Cierniak (UT) def. Megan Zeng (UTD) 6-2, 6-1

2. Ida Axelsson (UT) def. Elsha Valluru (UTD) 6-1

3. L Eriksson Sundling (UT) def. Kendall Curley (UTD) 6-0, 6-0

4. Alexandra Chebli (UT) def. Chloe O'Connor (UTD) 6-0, 6-1

5. Jhastine Red Ballado (UTD) def. Regina Davalos (UT) 2-6, 6-4, 10-6 (10-6)

6. Tal Zinn (UT) def. No Player (UTD), by forfeit

UP NEXT: Tampa Women's Tennis will have one day to reset and prepare for their next match. They will travel to nearby Florida Southern for another Sunshine State Conference battle on Friday, March 21st at 3:00pm.