Firebirds Earn Narrow Win vs. Roberts Wesleyan on Strength of Doubles Performance
ROCHESTER, NY – The University of the District of Columbia women's tennis team earned a hard-fought, 5-4 victory vs. East Coast Conference foe Roberts Wesleyan on Sunday afternoon at Midtown Athletic Club.
The Firebirds (3-3, 3-2 ECC) split six singles matches with the Redhawks, but having won two of the three doubles matches prior to singles play, UDC came out the one-point victor. Roberts Wesleyan (5-2, 2-2 ECC) had its three-match win streak snapped with today's loss.
The Redhawks got on the board first with an 8-3 No. 1 doubles win by Nthabi Mogopodi and Andrea Gallardo. UDC, however, would claim victories at No. 3 and No. 2 doubles, respectively. Sophomore Estefania Castrillon and freshman Florence Clercx grinded out an 8-6 win vs. Marine Kennel and Laura Freeman, and junior Paula Avellan and freshman Anastasiia Danylova likewise pulled through for a pivotal, 8-6 win vs. Marousia Bosch and Salome Darsalia. UDC led 2-1 heading into singles play.
Hadnadova and Danylova extended the Firebirds' lead to 4-1 with decisive wins at No. 1 and 4, respectively. Hadnadova defeated Mogopodi, 6-2, 6-4, and Danylova knocked off Bosch, 6-4, 6-1. Then, following a UDC loss at No. 5 singles, Clercx sealed the Firebirds' win with a 7-5, 6-1 win over Darsalia at No. 6. The Redhawks went on to win the final two matches at No. 2 and 3, but it was too little too late.
UDC has a week off before its next match – a home ECC contest vs. Molloy on Saturday, October 7th at 11 a.m.