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by ROB JENKINS
Sports Reporter
With the match tied 3-3 overall, Appalachian State University women’s tennis player Gisela Fernandez was locked in a tight match with Kate Ksiezopolski of the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga.
Fernandez had won the first set 6-4, but was clinging to a 4-3 lead in the second set.
“I was pretty nervous,” Fernandez said. “I had to win.”
Fernandez overcame her nervousness to win the next two games and claimed a 4-3 victory for the Mountaineers.
“We pulled it out. It was a good win. A very nice win,” head coach Colin Crothers said.
Appalachian got the match started off on the right foot by winning the doubles point.
The No.
2 doubles team of Lindsay King and Blakely Bean finished first,
defeating Emily Hangstefer and Ksiezopolski of UTC, 8-3.
At the No. 1 spot, Olivia Stannard and Fernandez of ASU claimed an easy 8-3 win over Annie Green and Jennemieke van der Veek.
“Doubles
was easier [than singles],” Fernandez said. “I consider myself a better
doubles player. Olivia and I have been playing together for a while.”
The
Mountaineers dropped a hard fought match at the No. 3 doubles spot,
with Grace Robinette and Charlotte Bossy of Chattanooga beating Laura
Janke and Amanda Cash, 8-7 (7-3).
“That was key, to win those doubles matches. In a 4-3 match, it does come down to the doubles,” Crothers said.
At No. 1 singles, Hangstefer defeated the Mountaineers’ Cash 6-0, 6-3.
The No. 4 singles match finished next, with Green of UTC cruising past Bean 6-0, 6-1.
The Mocs led the match 3-1 after van der Veek triumphed over King at No. 2 singles, 6-2, 6-1.
But the Mountaineers fought back and won the next three matches to claim the win.
Caroline Mauch of Appalachian won the only three-set match of the day, beating Bossy in the No. 3 spot 3-6, 6-2, 6-4.
“The
first set, I think I was just being too tentative and hitting the ball
too short,” Mauch said. “Second set, I thought I just needed to go for
it. In the third set, I knew it was coming down to me and the other two
matches on the court. We all needed to win, so it got tougher.”
At No. 5 singles, the Mountaineers’ Heather Prior defeated Brianna Wishing 6-3, 7-6(7-4).
Fernandez won her match at No. 6, 6-4, 6-3 over Ksiezopolski.
With the win, the Mountaineers improved their record to 9-15 (3-7), while the Mocs fell to 7-14 (2-8).
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