SUMTER, S.C. - Women's tennis had an eventful week competing in the SAC tournament.
As the number seven seed, Newberry went on to play number two Lenoir-Rhyne (LR) in the quarterfinal round on Thursday. After falling to the Bears earlier this season, the team was on a revenge tour. Upsetting the second seeded and 28th nationally ranked LR 4-2, the Wolves took on Catawba on day two.
Doubles set the tone for match one.
Rosie Harfield and
Ish Singh did not take too lightly that they were snubbed from all conference recognition so they made sure to let it be known in their doubles match. Taking down the 1st team all conference double pairing of Runa Muderrisoglu and Claudia Orsini with a staggering 6-2 set, momentum was on the Wolves side.
The next two doubles matches came down to a tie break with only one squad coming out on top. Despite the 6-6 tie on court three, the tie break was all
Sofia Cardenas and
Aina Miralles. Keeping the momentum on their side, the duo blew by the Bears 7-1 to send the Wolves in singles with a point.
Emma Arnal and
Margarita Nikonorova played their hearts out in the match as they also had a 6-6 tie break. Fighting till the very end, Arnal and Nikonorova pushed the final set to 5-7, just barely unable to come out on top.
Singles started slower than anticipated, as the Bears took a 2-1 lead. The first victory on such a long day came from none other than
Aina Miralles. Finishing her first set 6-3, Miralles kept the pace in the second set and pushed match to a 6-2 finale, putting the Wolves even with the Bears 2-2.
Rosie Harfield put the Wolves in striking distance with her two set win. A back and fourth 6-4 first set drained both players but Harfield made sure to show off her endurance. Set two came out to a 6-3 finish, moving the Wolves one step closer to the semis.
Emma Arnal and
Sofia Cardenas were neighboring courts as they were playing at the same time. Unfortunately both dropped their first sets two the Bears, setting up a long-roaded come back. Arnal took full advantage of Muderrisoglu's (1st team singles and freshman of the year) fatigue and bounced back 6-4, sending her match to three sets. Cardenas also crawled her way back with a tight, jaw dropping 6-4 second set. Cardenas took an early lead in the third set and never looked back. Arnal watched in awe as her teammate dominated the court next to her, looking unstoppable. Arnal continued to play her match and took a strong 4-2 lead but knew the weight was off her shoulders. Closing down her match 5-3, Cardenas delivered the ball to the opposing side where the Bear hit her own side of the next, sending the Wolves into fury...
Their biggest upset of the season came when they needed it the most, but the job was not done.
Day two against third seeded Catawba was a rough one from the get go.
Rosie Harfield and
Ish Singh were the first doubles court to finish and the only one to find a win. Getting a hot early 3-0 lead, the Bears turned the blowout into a match, coming back 3-2. Singh and Harfield did not waiver under the pressure, taking the set 6-4.
Three matches were unfinished by the time the Indians clinched their victory.
Margarita Nikonorova had a slow start in her first set, going down 0-3. Bouncing back, Nikonorova forced the match into an exciting and back-and-fourth tie break where she came out on top. As the second set progressed, her match finished with her down 1-2.
Miralles had a hard start on her first set, exchanging blows till the very end in a tough 4-6 loss. With her second set going unfinished, Miralles was up 3-2 by the end of the day.
