After its loss to Yale University on Jan. 28, Indiana women’s tennis intended to build on the positives and return to the win column. Head coach Ramiro Azcui stressed discipline and effort as what the Hoosiers needed to bring with them on their first road trip of the season.
The effort was present. The results were not.
Indiana suffered 5-2 defeats to West Virginia University and Xavier University. Three straight losses moved the Hoosiers from a promising 4-0 start to a struggling 4-3 record.
Indiana faced undefeated West Virginia on Friday, and the problems were evident immediately. The Hoosiers lost the No. 1 doubles and No. 3 doubles matches, failing to capture the lucrative doubles point.
The woes continued for Indiana in its singles matches, dropping four of the six. The No. 1 singles court featured a competitive match between Indiana redshirt junior Lara Schneider and West Virginia junior Camilla Bossi, but the Hoosier fell 4-6, 7-6 (7-4), 6-2. Similarly, Indiana graduate student Lene Mari Hovda lost a close match 6-4, 2-6, 6-3 to senior Momoko Nagato.
Indiana’s second loss to Xavier on Sunday was nearly identical to its first loss of the weekend. The Hoosiers were unable to win the doubles point after losses in No. 1 and No. 3 doubles, and they dropped four singles matches to the Musketeers.
However, victory was nearly in Indiana’s clutches.
Down 3-2, the Hoosiers needed wins on the No. 5 and No. 6 courts from Hovda and freshman Magdalena Swierczynska. Both won first set tie breakers to take the 1-0 lead, but with the chance to take the win over Xavier sophomore Emily Flowers, Swierczynska dropped the second set tiebreaker and was swept 6-0 in the final set.
The loss gave Xavier the four points necessary for victory, and to make matters worse, Hovda was forced to retire in the third set, extending the scoreline to 5-2.
Throughout the weekend, the Hoosier that consistently starred was freshman Elisabeth Dunac. The Maryland native excelled in both her matches, improving her singles record to 6-0.
Her first match of the weekend was against West Virginia graduate student Ting-Pei Chang. A veteran who has played five years with the Mountaineers and Iowa State University, Chang had the upper hand with experience heading into the match. Ultimately, the newcomer faced no issues, capping off the victory 6-2, 6-2.
Dunac faced Xavier sophomore Abigail Siminski in her second match, a more challenging contest than her first. Dunac faced a quick 3-1 deficit in the first set but won the next five games to take the 1-0 lead. Siminski responded instantly and dominated the second set 6-1. With all to play in the deciding set, Dunac obliterated Siminski 6-1, continuing the blistering start to her career at Indiana.
Following the winless weekend, Indiana will have a chance to regroup and get back into the win column with a matchup against Kansas State University. The match will take place at 12 p.m. Saturday in Tuscaloosa, Alabama.
Follow reporter Mateo Fuentes-Rohwer (@mateo_frohwer) for updates through the Indiana women’s tennis season.
