Women’s tennis wins first match

Tulane’s women’s tennis team hit the ground running with a 4-2 victory over New Mexico, in Lubbock, Tx. last Friday. Despite having their game delayed for more than two hours and having to continue their tournament indoors due to the rain, the Green Wave held strong and came out on top.

During the first match, sophomore Lindsey Dvorak set the tone with a 6-2, 6-1 win over Laura Richardson, giving the Green Wave its first point. With points and momentum on their side, sophomore Mariam Kurdadze followed by beating Anya Villanueva with a 6-1, 6-0 victory, giving Tulane a 2-0 lead.

New Mexico responded with a 6-3, 1-6, 6-3 victory of its own, putting the pressure back on Tulane. Freshman Emma Levy responded by giving the Green Wave a 3-1 lead with a 7-5, 6-0 win, bringing Tulane closer to victory, despite the match being held on a disadvantageous playing field. New Mexico struck back as Amy Shipperd swept sophomore Caroline Gerber with two 6-0 rounds, putting the score at Tulane 3, New Mexico 2. Hila Elster put the game to an end once and for all with a 6-1, 6-2 victory over Michaela Oldani, propelling Tulane to victory.

Despite winning against New Mexico, the Wave could not pull out the same outcome against tournament host Texas Tech. Texas Tech’s Lorena Aviles started off with a victory over Tulane’s Marcela Fonseca. Following Aviles, Texas Tech’s Kelsey Garland defeated Elizabeth Hamlin, and Caroline Starck beat Hila Elster, giving Texas Tech a 3-0 lead over the Green Wave.

Mariam Kurdadze beat Sandra Dynka with an inspiring 7-5, 6-1 win, giving Tulane its first point of the game. Rookie Emma Levy put Tulane back in the game with a 4-6, 6-0, 6-4 win, setting the score at 3-2. Unfortunately, that wasn’t enough as Tulane suffered defeat when Lindsey Dvorak lost at the hands of Natalie Leitch, deciding the fate of the match.

Despite losing to Texas Tech, Tulane appears to be solid team. Though young this year, Coach Terri Sisk has confidence in her players and believes they can become top competitors. The team appears tenacious and ready for their next match against Southeastern Louisiana at 1 p.m. Feb. 6 here at Tulane. They will try to take this loss as an opportunity to see what aspects of their team they need to alter in order to become better effective when going up against teams in the future.