by Logan Tyler
The men and women of the tennis teams traveled down south to Hilton Head Island, South Carolina where they competed in four matches over the course of Roanoke’s spring break. Last Sunday, for both teams’ first match of the trip and the women’s spring opener, they were matched up against Mary Baldwin. Both teams swept the Fighting Squirrels of Mary Baldwin, 9-0, giving the Maroons a boost of confidence going into the rest of their trip.
The women’s team was met with a hard loss in their second match of the trip, played on March 6 against Drew University where the final score was Drew 8, Roanoke 1. The men were also faced with a tough loss in their second match against Baldwin Wallace University on March 7. The Yellow Jackets beat the Maroons 7-2, putting Baldwin Wallace’s record at an unbeaten 9-0 after their match against RC.
For their third match of the trip, both Maroon teams faced Messiah University. The men narrowly missed the mark in their matches, ultimately losing to the Falcons 5-4. However, the lady Maroons came out on the other side with RC freshman Victoria Rios’ comeback cementing the win against the Falcons, the Maroons coming out on top, 5-4.
For the last competition of the trip, both Maroon teams were matched up against Lebanon Valley College from Pennsylvania. On the men’s side, two lost singles matches proved detrimental for the Maroons, leading to a loss to the Flying Dutchmen, 5-4. On the women’s side, Lebanon Valley triumphed in singles matches which secured the win for them, leading to a 6-3 Maroons loss.
The women’s team returned back north with an overall 2-2 record for their time in Hilton Head and the men’s team headed back with a 1-3 record. The women, whose overall record now stands at 3-4, will look to settle down into a successful rhythm as they begin to face more opponents this season. The men next face Averett University on Friday at home, where a win against the Cougars could boost their overall record to 4-6.
