Unable to field a full lineup set up a 7-0 defeat for the BGSU Falcons tennis team at the hands of the Ball State Cardinals.
With one doubles match in hand Ball State only needed to win one of the two matches in play. Ball State was in the position to get that crucial doubles point with their nationally-ranked duo of Rosalinda Calderon and Courtney Earnest.
Calderon and Earnest took on the Falcon duo of Harley Hutchinson and Megan Miller. The top flight duo, for most of this season, fell 6-1.
In singles play, the day was all Cardinals. The results are as follows: flight one Courtney Wild defeated Miller 6-1, 6-3, Earnest defeated Hutchinson 6-0, 6-0, Toni Ormond defeated Emily Witt 6-2, 6-1, Ashlyn Rang defeated Antonina Farrar 6-1, 6-1 and Bethany Moore defeated Sydney Seeley 6-0, 6-0.
“We saw good energy from the girls today,” said BGSU head coach Olga Elkin. “We are ready to have a great practice tomorrow and hopefully finish out the season on Sunday with a win.”
That final match of the season would come on a road trip to Ypsilanti, MI to face the Eagles of Eastern Michigan.
The final match of the season could not lend the first win of the year for this young Falcons tennis squad as EMU would win the event 6-1.
The lone win in this final match of the year came from Sophomore Brittany Plaszewski. Plaszewski was in a fourth flight match against Eastern Michigan’s Daphine Friedrichs.
The first set was taken by Friedrichs 2-6, but Plaszewski would come back in the second set to win and set up a tiebreak. In that tiebreak Plaszewski would take it 1-0 and take the match.
The rest of the Falcons in singles action were downed by their Eagles counterpart. In the first flight Klara Supejova defeated Miller 7-5, 6-4, Ani Gogvadze defeated Hutchinson 6-4, 6-3, Andrea Martinovska defeated Emily Witt 7-6, 6-4, Anna Veleva defeated Farrar 6-2, 6-1 and Alejandra Barcelo defeated Seeley 6-0, 6-1.
As the season closes it gives time to reflect and move toward turning things around for the 2015-16 season.
The 0-17 record is an obvious disappointment but it has to take into account the multiple first year players on the squad, lack of experience and injuries. This year was a learning experience for all involved and it will take a lot of hard work to get back on the winning side of the ledger.
It will be important to build on the shining moments shown at various times by the likes of Miller, Hutchinson, Witt and co. With a full season under this young squads’ belt and upperclassmen Drew Fillis coming back from injury it will be time for this team to make a splash next season.
