Huskies Tripped Up by Grand Valley State 5-2 Sunday
HOUGHTON, Mich. – The Michigan Tech women's tennis team fell at home on Sunday 5-2 to Grand Valley State University in a Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference match at the Gates Tennis Center. The Huskies battled hard and a had number of close sets, but the Lakers were able to secure enough points for the win.
"We came up just a little bit short against a very good Grand Valley State team," Michigan Tech Head Coach Kevin Kalinec said. "I'm really proud of the effort of our players and the fight they gave in the match today. There were a number of positives to take away from this match as we look to grow as a team and get ready for road matches at Davenport and Purdue Northwest next weekend."
All three doubles matches were closely contested on Sunday, with No. 1 doubles going onto the box score first in the favor of Michigan Tech (5-2, 4-2 GLIAC). Sophomore Ivona Gorgioski and freshman Jessica Brown powered their way to a 6-4 victory over Vera Griva and Marily Canellopoulos.
Freshman Mirna Golac and senior Allenca Rolim were paired up for No. 3 doubles, which wrapped up second in Sunday's match. Livia Christman and Olivia Hanover were able to hold off Rolim and Golac by the final tally of 6-3 to even things up in doubles. The point would boil down to No. 2 doubles, which was a seesaw battle back and forth between senior Vicky Quinde and freshman Samantha Johnson against Madison Ballard and Nicole Heiniger of Grand Valley State (5-0, 5-0 GLIAC). The teams traded points until the end when Ballard and Heiniger were able to secure the 6-4 decision.
The Lakers carried a 1-0 lead into the singles portion of the match and tacked on two points at the outset with wins in the No. 2 and No. 4 spots in the lineup. Griva was able to hold off Brown 6-0, 6-3 while Christman recorded a 6-1, 7-5 win against Quinde. Quinde did a solid job of battling back and nearly extending the contest into a third set.
The Huskies rallied for the next two points thanks to solid results from Johnson in No. 3 singles and Gorgioski in No. 1 singles. Johnson slipped past Marija Leko 7-5 in the first set and then came through in the clutch with a 7-6 win in the second set. Gorgioski battled back from a 6-3 loss in set one to turn the tables on Ballard for a 7-6 win in the second set. With momentum on her side, Gorgioski cruised to a 6-1 win in the third set.
Unfortunately, the Lakers would claim the final two points of the afternoon, resulting in the 5-2 final. Hanover edged Golac 6-4, 6-2 in the No. 5 spot and junior Anabella Neri fell to Heiniger 6-3, 6-2 to wrap things up.
The Huskies will travel to Davenport and Purdue Northwest for two more GLIAC matches next weekend. The Huskies meet the Panthers on Saturday at 10 a.m. with a first serve on Sunday at 12 p.m.
