Women's Tennis Wins Only Doubles Point Against #5 Mustangs

SAN ANTONIO — The St. Mary's University Women's Tennis team started off strong, winning all three doubles matches, but the fifth-ranked Midwestern State Mustangs responded by winning all six singles matches for the 6-1 victory.
 
The win for the Mustangs (9-3, 2-0 Lone Star Conference) is the first-ever in San Antonio and the second straight over the Rattlers (6-4, 0-1 Lone Star).
 
"The women played some really smart doubles," said Director of Tennis Bill Macom. "But had difficulty keeping their focus headed into singles. We had four really close singles and certainly could've taken at least three if we played our own game styles."
 
Junior Karen Kondo (Tokyo, Japan) and freshman Selina Wu (San Gabriel, Calif.) won 6-4 on court one, while freshman Janel Ospanova (Karaganda, Kazakhstan) and sophomore Stela Sifuentes (Eagle Pass, Texas) won by the identical score at line three for the point. 
 
The tandem of junior Paula Garrote (Cartagena, Spain) and sophomore Alessia Terlizzi (Andria, Italy) dug deep to win in the tiebreaker, 7-6 (7-4).
 
As the page turned to singles, the Mustangs took over, though the Rattlers didn't make it easy. Ospanova got a late break of serve at six singles to win the opening set 7-5 before falling 6-0, 6-2 in the following two sets. 
 
Kondo, the defending Lone Star Conference Player of the Week, jumped out with a 6-4 first set win on court three. Hannah Yip, ranked 32nd this week by the ITA, won the next two sets 6-4, 6-3. 
 
Sifuentes was on court five for the match as she and Skylar Minns went to a tiebreaking set one, where Minns won 7-5 and then she got one break for the 6-4 win in set two.
 
Terlizzi and Sofia Giraldo went back-and-forth all afternoon at number four. Giraldo won the opening set 6-3 before Terlizzi fought back for the 6-4 set two score. The pair went to a tiebreaker in the deciding set with Giraldo winning 7-3 to complete the singles sweep.
 
The Rattlers don't have much time to recover as they host #19 Lubbock Christian on Saturday at 10 a.m. The Lady Chaps lost 4-3 at Midwestern State on Wednesday in their conference opener.