Despite an impressive comeback, the first half of the Illinois women’s tennis (1-2) two-match weekend did not end in a win. Two hours in, Illinois trailed Georgia Tech (4-2) with 3-0 after losing doubles and two singles matches.
The Illini gained momentum after a win from senior Kasia Treiber before tying the match at 3-3 thanks to victories from junior Violeta Martinez and senior Kida Ferrari. Ultimately, Georgia Tech pulled through and won 4-3.
Difference in doubles
In Illinois’ first two matches, it won the doubles point. While it did not result in a win against Notre Dame, the doubles point was massive for Illinois in its 4-2 win over Northwestern. Against Georgia Tech, a loss in doubles ended up being the difference maker after a 3-3 split in singles.
Despite dropping doubles, Illinois still had chances. On court two, it entered the sixth game with a 3-2 advantage and was poised to take an even stronger lead at 4-2. However, Georgia Tech rallied to tie at 3-3 and outscored Illinois 4-2 the rest of the way (7-5). Illinois also led 5-4 in the unfinished match on court three.
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“(It was) just little things here and there,” said head coach Evan Clark. “Doubles has been solid. We’ve won two doubles points and lost today. It certainly helps … if we won the doubles point today, then we’d be able to win the match. It’s tough, but we’ll bounce back.”
Bottom half production
The bottom half of Illinois’ lineup was especially productive against Georgia Tech. Friday’s match featured Treiber’s first singles win of the season, on top of also being the first time Illinois got two wins from courts four, five and six this season. Results were less positive on the other side, with Martinez’s win on court three being the only one from the top half.
The most encouraging part of Illinois’ performance is that all of the wins came with the match on the line. It is difficult to simulate the pressure of a deciding match, and four different Illini gained that experience all at once. A win was the preferred outcome, but Clark said Illinois has a chance to grow in the long run as a result.
“We battled,” Clark said. “I was worried (early in the match) … I thought we might get blown off of the court. Credit to (Martinez) for taking her match and everyone else for really battling. (Ferrari) … was an up-and-down match, but she stayed in it. It will make us better in the long run if we allow it to.”
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