Following their tight season opening win against opponent Villanova University (0-3). The week prior, Friday, Jan. 30. Longwood women’s tennis dominated the Bucknell Bison (0-2) from Pennsylvania on Saturday, Feb. 7, 6-1.
Longwood (2-0) went undefeated in doubles and earned four out of five official singles wins. No. 6 singles senior Nicole Parker’s match against Bucknell sophomore Jorie Fox, was terminated early after a single-set win (7-5), in which Lancers won the majority of sets.
Head Coach Bruce Myers, who is new this season, told the Longwood Athletics’ official website that the team “really focused on [their] doubles play” in practice.
“Against a strong team like Bucknell, to get the doubles point and an early lead was critical,” said Myers to the Longwood Athletics’ official website.
The No. 1 doubles Longwood pair, senior Malin Allgurin and sophomore Paloma Alatorre, came out as victors in the closest matchup of the day, against Bucknell’s junior, Maria Cioffi and Alyssa McAndrew, defeating them 8-7 (2).
Allgurin (6-3, 6-2) and Alatorre (6-2, 6-4), both earned wins in their single sets, Allgurin at No. 1, facing Cioffi again, and Altorre against Bucknell junior Stephanie Pino at the No. 4 spot.
After Longwood’s No. 2 duo, sophomore Anna Pelak and Parker, dominated their doubles match against Pino and freshman Lisa Jouravleva; Pelak and Jouravleva faced again in singles.
Jouravleva left Longwood with the only Bucknell match win (6-4, 6-4) against Pelak.
Sophomore Mason Thomas, cleanly finished her first No. 5 singles set without losing a game (6-0), and then quickly contributed a point to Longwood’s position with her final win (6-2). Alongside junior Maria Coronel, the two had picked up an 8-4 win in doubles prior.
“Just like the Villanova match, we got the doubles point, and Mason [Thomas] won her match efficiently to give us momentum and lift the team's spirits,” said Myers to the Longwood Athletics’ official website.
Coronel battled with Bucknell freshman, Madeline Melch, losing her first single-set 7-5 then coming back in her second set to win 7-6. Ultimately, Colonel won the deciding third set 10-7, clinching the No. 3 spot.
"Everyone played well, and we built off the positives of our first match and carried that over today," Myers said to Longwood Athletics’ official website.
The team will play again Saturday, Feb. 14 in Fredericksburg, Virginia against host Mary Washington University, which is the first match of the season, and George Mason University (1-2).
