ORLANDO, Fla. – After five months of hibernation, the Ursinus College women's tennis team awoke with a flourish in its spring debut Monday, sweeping Piedmont 9-0 in a night match with Piedmont at Orlando's Lake Cane Tennis Center.
Senior Christine Palazzolo was a 6-0, 6-0 winner at sixth singles and teamed with classmate Robin Alsher for a nail-biting victory at third doubles for the Bears, who dropped just one set in dominating their first spring showdown for the third straight year.
Juniors Ashley Nguyen and Aileen Bevard were impressive at first doubles, staking the Bears to an early lead with an 8-3 victory over Amanda Blackwell and Morgan Buchholz.
Following their championship at the ITA Southeast Regional championships in the fall, freshman Caitlyn Sorelle and junior Ariel Danziger continued their unblemished start with an 8-5 decision against Karina Rivera and Durden Smith, and Palazzolo and Alsher capped the sweep with a hard-fought 9-7 win opposite Simona Floyd and Tabea Soelter at number three.
The Bears generally dominated singles play, the only exception Danziger's three-set win over Smith at number four; Danziger shook off a rough first set to post a 2-6, 6-3, 1-0 (10-5) triumph in the final match of the evening.
In between, Ursinus posted one straight-set victory after another, starting with Palazzolo's double bagel over Tatiana Burkett. Sorelle and Alsher were both 6-1, 6-1 winners at second and fifth singles, respectively, while Bevard picked up her first individual victory of the season with a 6-3, 6-2 decision over Buchholz at number one singles. Nguyen notched a 6-4, 6-3 tally against Floyd at third singles.
The women's tennis team plays twice on Tuesday, starting with a big challenge against Oglethorpe – the Atlantic South Region's 13th-ranked squad – at 8 a.m. The Bears will then take on Alvernia at 7 p.m.