MADELYN CONRAD
STAFF WRITER
The Franciscan University of Steubenville women’s tennis team triumphed over non-conference opponent Grove City College in an exciting and hard-fought battle Tuesday, Sept. 24 at Franciscan’s home courts.
Freshmen Estelle Leon and Haley Davinsizer picked up where they left off in doubles, continuing to show their impressive consistency and teamwork at the No. 3 court. The freshmen duo came off of the court with a seemingly effortless 8-4 win.
An impressive and hard-fought match on the No. 2 doubles court resulted in the second point for Franciscan after senior Gracie Hammel and sophomore Zoey Stapleton stayed tough and composed, eventually taking the match 8-6.
On the No. 1 doubles court, senior Madelyn Conrad and junior Ana Victoria Haddad Garcia were unable to pull out the win when the Wolverines’ consistency proved to be too much for the Lady Barons. After a brief struggle, they were defeated 8-2, leaving the Lady Barons up 2-1 going into singles.
The Franciscan team members showed their impressive individual strengths against their tough competitors throughout their singles matches.
On the No. 1 singles court, Conrad came out on top against a Grove City opponent for the first time in her college career with an intense and hard-fought 7-5, 7-5 victory.
After dropping the first set 6-2, Haddad refused to leave the court without a fight. She took the second set from her opponent 6-1 before falling in a competitive tie-break 11-9.
In a match that continued nearly two and a half hours, Leon outlasted her Wolverine opponent on the No. 3 singles court. Exhausted yet composed, Leon eventually won 6-1, 7-5, 10-7.
An impressive and well-deserved 6-2, 6-0 No. 4 singles win for Stapleton finalized the victory for the Lady Barons. Quickly following suit, freshman Caroline Picard continued her streak of dominant play, defeating her opponent 6-2, 6-1 on the No. 5 singles court.
In an abbreviated lineup, Davinsizer quickly wrapped up her match with a 6-1, 6-0 sweep at No. 6 singles.
Head coach Scott Greve was impressed with his players after the match. “The ladies continue to improve and elevate their game,” said Greve. “This is exactly what we as coaches want to see at this time in the season. Madelyn Conrad and Zoey Stapleton played their best matches of the year so far, and our freshmen continue to improve and impress. The ladies have really bought into our philosophy, and it shows on the court. It shows the captains are doing a great job leading this team.”
The Lady Barons’ next home match will be Saturday, Oct. 5 against Mount Aloysius College.