McPHERSON, Kan. (macbulldogs.com) --- The 21st-ranked McPherson College women's tennis team opened its 2017 Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference (KCAC) slate with a 6-3 win over (RV) Southwestern College Sunday night at the McPherson High School courts.
The Bulldogs (2-2, 1-0 KCAC) jumped out to a 3-0 lead after doubles play.
Brittany Zipf (Rockhampton, Queensland, Australia, Emmaus College) and
Besa Bwalya (Hoisington, Kan., Hoisington HS) posted an 8-2 win over Sydney Shields and Olivia Medaris at number one,
Lea Striegel (Emmendingen, Germany, Albert-Schweitzer Gymnasium) and
Zoë Bouwmeester (Zutphen, Netherlands, Isendoorn College) recorded an 8-5 win over Anna Mankoski and Morgan Hughes at the number two spot and
Madison Hoffman (McPherson, Kan., McPherson HS) and
Deiah Curtis (Great Bend, Kan., Bethany College) finished off the sweep with a 9-7 win over Sadie Pfau and Savannah Caro at number three.
Zipf and Bouwmeester posted a pair of quick straight-set wins at number one and number three singles, respectively, to clinch the match for McPherson. Striegel followed with a 6-3, 6-2 win over Anna Mankoski at number four, but the Lady Builders (8-4, 0-1 KCAC) took the final three points. Medaris needed a second-set tiebreaker and a match tiebreaker to top Bwalya at number two, while Abbi Groff and Jerlecia Thompson defeated Madison Hoffman and Deiah Curtis in straight sets at numbers five and six, respectively.
"Southwestern has gotten better from last year," said head coach Dustin Wheeler. "They have a strong bottom half of their lineup and are very steady up front. We won the critical points, I think, and that's what helped us at the end of the matches. I have to give the girls a lot of credit. They showed a lot of grit, they took chances, they came forward and did some things they're not comfortable with all of the time. The ladies played like a family the way they usually do and, when you have that support, you usually come out on top. I really want to give [Hoffman and Curtis at No. 3 doubles] a lot of credit. They came up with a big win for us, allowing us to sweep doubles. It made singles a lot easier.
The Bulldogs currently have a match on the books for Wednesday against a short-sided Oklahoma Wesleyan University squad. Should that match not be played as scheduled, McPherson would next be in action Saturday, April 8 at 10 a.m. against Friends University at McPherson High School.
