ORLANDO, Fla. -- Spring break came early for the Bruins as they traveled down to Orlando to play a slew of Midwest and East Coast teams. Today they lost 6-1 to Denison University, before dropping their second match of the day to St. Lawrence University 5-2.
How it Happened
Game One
Denison got off to a hot start over the Bruins as the No. 23 team in the nation swept the doubles point. The lineup looked slightly different than usual, as
Sophie Denham and
Shanah Denham got the nod in the No. 1 doubles spot. They avoided the sweep in the set, but lost 6-1 to give Denison their first win of the day.
Kalli Wiker and
Arianna Rader dropped their match 6-2, and
Riley Bobkiewicz and
Cassey Hitch lost 6-0 to finish out the doubles matches for the morning.
Shanah Denham picked up the only match win in the Singles matches, winning 1-6, 6-3, 6-1 against Denison's Dasha Chistyakova. The clutch three-set victory is a testament to the season Denham is having, playing really well in the three-spot for Fox.
Denison controlled the majority of the rest of the matches, but the Bruins still didn't go down without a fight. Wiker dropped her first set 6-0 before bouncing back and almost taking set two, ultimately falling 6-0, 7-5. Bobkiewicz's match was competitive in the first set, but Charlotte Johns ended up taking the match 6-4, 6-1.
Sophie Denham, Rader, and
Abigail Bond closed out the matches for the Bruins, all three getting taken down in two sets. Denham lost 6-3, 6-2, Rader lost 6-4, 6-1, and Bond rounded the matches out with a 6-1, 6-2 loss. Despite Fox getting taken down 6-1 in matches, they still put up a great fight against No. 23 Denison. The Big Red only swept one set, and the Bruins made each match competitive.
Game Two
The Bruins came out firing in match No. 2 today, winning the doubles point and giving the squad some positive momentum into the rest of the day. Head coach
Rick Cruz did more mix and matching in the doubles lineup, this time moving Rader and Wiker up to the No. 1 spot in the lineup. They crushed it, winning 6-4 over Molly Jespersen and Ellie McDermed. The Denham sisters dropped the No. 2 match 6-2, but Bobkiewicz and
Juhree Kizziar came through clutch in the third spot, winning 6-2 to give the Bruins their first point of the match.
From there the Saints took control, winning five of the six singles matches. Wiker played the toughest and longest match of the afternoon, getting beat out in a tiebreaker 4-6, 6-4, 1(10) - 0(5). The Denham sisters both bumped up a spot in the lineup, with Shanah losing 6-1, 6-3 in the No. 2 singles match, and Sophie getting edged out 6-4, 6-3 in the No. 3 singles match. Hitch played the four, losing 6-1, 6-1, and Rader closed things out for the Bruins in the No. 6 spot, dropping her match 6-1, 6-2.
Kizziar was the lone singles match winner for Fox, winning 6-4 6-2 against McDermed. She's now on a three-game singles win streak, and played quite well despite there being windy conditions in Orlando.
Coach's Thoughts
"It was quite a good first day for us," said Cruz. "There was a definite adjustment playing our first outdoor matches of the season, but I thought overall the girls did a good job of adjusting to the sun and wind. Shanah had a solid win against Denison, and it was nice to see us get the doubles point against St. Lawrence. Juhree also had a good singles win in windy conditions. I can't wait to get back on the court tomorrow!"
What Happens Next
The team stays in Orlando, Fla. for the next couple of days, playing their next match tomorrow, March 21st against Wellesley. The match is slated to begin at 9:00 am.
