By John Ostapowicz
The Youngstown State University men and women’s tennis team’s dropped hard-fought decisions to The University of Toledo on Jan. 27.
The women’s team started the spring semester with a 5-2 defeat to Toledo at the YSU Indoor Tennis Center.
To start the day in doubles matches, junior Eliska Masarikova and sophomore Elisa Rigazio cruised to a 6-2 win at No. 1. and No. 2, graduate student Cecilia Rosas and junior Maria Olivera tried to secure the win, but fell short to the Rockets, 6-3.
At No.3, graduate student Moka Ito and sophomore Lili Minich battled it out against graduate student Mariona Perez and junior Shalini Tallamraju in a marathon match. The Penguins had four match points before the Rockets fought back, forcing a tiebreaker.
Youngstown State earned the win, 10-8 in the tiebreaker, securing the doubles point.
In singles matches, senior Jessica Stanmore picked up the lone victory at No. 5, defeating junior Julia Kuszynski 6-3 in both sets.
With the loss, the women’s team bounced back against Carnegie Mellon University on Jan. 29, picking up a 5-2 win over the Tartans.
To start the day, the Penguins won the doubles point at No. 1 and No. 2, 6-1 on both courts.
In singles play, Youngstown State earned four wins at No. 2, No. 3, No. 4 and No.5. Minich, Masarkiva, Rosas and Stanmore led the way for a Penguins victory.
While the women’s team battled at home, the men’s team traveled to Toledo, Ohio, falling to the Rockets, 7-0.
The only set win of the day came from senior Javi Pla at No. 6 singles in hopes of starting a comeback, but fell short.
The men’s team is back in action on Feb. 3, when it returns home to face St. Francis College- Brooklyn and Duquesne University inside the YSU Indoor Tennis Center. First serve is set for 11 a.m. and 4 p.m.
The women’s tennis team is back in action, Feb. 3 to 5, in Las Vegas, Nevada. Over the three-day span, the Penguins will face off against the University of the Pacific, Weber State University and The University of Nevada, Las Vegas. First serve is set for 1 p.m for all three days.