S. MICHAEL HUTCHENSON
STAFF WRITER
The Lady Barons tennis team continued to display their dominance last Friday afternoon, as they swept Muskingum University 9-0, continuing their impressive 10-game winning streak.
Even from the onset of the match, the girls took charge of the court and never gave Muskingum a break, batting their serves back left and right.
Franciscan started strong in the doubles portion of the match. The No. 1 doubles game was won handily by senior Maria Binette and junior Madelyn Conrad, who took their game 8-0 after aggressive play at the net. The No. 2 doubles game, played by junior Gracie Hammel and sophomore Ana Victoria Haddad Garcia, took the longest to wrap up but was certainly no less exciting, as Hammel won more than a few points on the serve. The game was also won 8-0. Seniors Julia Razook and Taranee Karimpour won another point for Franciscan, finishing the No. 3 doubles game 8-2.
The second half of the match began, and all six singles games were played simultaneously. The Lady Barons continued to play stellar tennis, and four of the six girls ended their games with a 6-0, 6-0 win: Garcia in the No. 1 singles game, freshman Antonia Mysyk in the No. 4 game, sophomore Kayla DiSalle in the No. 5 game, and freshman Anna Swope in the No. 6 game. Karimpour, who played the No. 2 game, and freshman Zoey Stapleton, who played the No. 3 slot, also won their games handily, both with a score of 6-0, 6-1.
Head coach Scott Greve was very pleased by the team’s performance. “It was another great match for the ladies. Everybody played great tennis.”
Greve also praised the girls’ practice discipline: “Our ladies continued to put into the match what they’re learning in practice … You can just see it in the way that they carry out what we want them to do.”
Brother Daniel Maria Klimek, TOR, the tennis team chaplain, had similar sentiments about the match. “The ladies played very well, focused. They were easily the better team. Their hard work shows on the court, the fruit of so much dedication and practice, and great coaching.”
As the match drew to a close, Klimek led the girls in prayer and asked God to pour out his blessings upon them. The girls’ next home game will be on Saturday, Oct. 20 at 1:30 p.m. against Indiana-East.