Photo: Carter Oswood
Drake began an eight-game home stand last weekend, and the Bulldogs rolled to their seventh- and eighth-straight victories over Missouri-Kansas City and Chicago State.
Drake took down UMKC 6-1 last Saturday. The Bulldogs swept Chicago State 7-0 later in the day. Drake has not lost a match in a month of action.
The Bulldogs lone loss this season came at the hands of No. 25 Oklahoma on Jan. 21. Drake moved to 9-1 on the season with the victories last weekend.
“It feels awesome,” freshman Nell Boyd said. “It’s the best record we’ve had in a long time, and it feels good to be a part of it.”
The Bulldogs dominated at the top two positions in doubles play against UMKC. The top tandem of senior Gabby Demos and junior Manca Krizman won decisively 8-3. Senior Jessica Aguilera and sophomore Klavdija Rebol won 8-1 at the No. 2 spot to secure the point.
Drake was just as dominant in singles play, winning five of the six matches. In all five wins combined, the Bulldogs dropped just a single set.
Rebol battled at the top spot. She split the first two sets before separating herself in the third for the victory. The final line was 6-0, 2-6, 6-2.
Krizman won 6-2, 6-4 at the No. 2 position. Boyd was flawless in her 6-0, 6-1 win at the No. 3 spot. Demos and Aguilera rounded out the team’s points at the No. 4 and No. 5 slots, respectively. Demos won 6-1, 6-0 while Aguilera earned a 6-0, 6-1 triumph.
“At first, I was a little nervous to play at No. 3 (singles),” Boyd said. “But it wasn’t bad at all.”
Drake was even better against Chicago State. The Bulldogs won every match — in fact, they won every set — against the Cougars.
Demos and Krizman set the tone at No. 1 doubles with an 8-3 victory. Aguilera and Rebol won 8-5 at the No. 2 spot, while Boyd and junior Ali Patterson cruised to an 8-0 win at the No. 3 position.
“We always do doubles work, and we practice getting better at court position,” Boyd said. “We also need to work on being more consistent in singles (play).”
Rebol did not drop a game in her 6-0, 6-0 singles win at the No. 1 slot. Krizman won 6-1, 6-2 in No. 2 singles while Demos cleaned up in a 6-4, 6-1 win at the No. 3 spot.
Senior Amanda Aragon earned a 6-1, 6-3 victory at No. 4 singles. Senior Earlynn Lauer won by an identical line at the No. 5 slot, while freshman Amanda Dick triumphed 6-3, 6-0 at the No. 6 position to complete the sweep.
The Bulldogs continue their home stand with three matches this weekend. Drake takes on Montana this Friday at 3 p.m. at the Roger Knapp Tennis Center. The Bulldogs face Upper Iowa at 10 a.m. and then Kansas at 5 p.m. on Saturday.
Drake opens Missouri Valley Conference play on March 31 against Northern Iowa, and Boyd said that the Bulldogs have a legit shot at earning the league title.
“I look forward to playing Wichita (State) and beating them,” Boyd said of the three-time defending MVC champion Shockers.
