Drake women’s tennis gets convincing win following a rocky start

Following their 5-2 loss to Wichita State on Jan. 28, the Drake women’s tennis team was eager to right the ship. Given their upcoming home matchup against the University of Missouri-Kansas City, the team had a perfect opportunity to do so. 

The matchup was slated for Feb. 2, the team’s first weekday match in 2023. Up to this point in the season, the Bulldogs had been a mixed bag performance-wise. 

They opened the spring season with a 0-7 loss to Iowa State, but they quickly regrouped and had consecutive wins against South Dakota and Marquette. Including their Jan. 28 loss to Wichita State, the team entered their Feb. 2 matchup with a 2-2 record. 

The team got off to a quick start against Kansas City with a 6-0 sweeping win by Ines Stephani and Oriana Parkins-Godwin in doubles two. Darinka Stepan and Mille Haagensen continued the hot start, clinching the doubles point with a 6-3 win in doubles one. This clinch gave Drake a 1-0 lead headed into singles. 

Elizabete Klavinska finished her match first, securing the first singles point for Drake following a 6-0, 6-3 win over Kansas City’s Joanna Cardona. Haagensen brought in the second point for Drake after a 6-3, 6-2 win over Laura Munoz-Baroja at singles two. Jyun-Yi Lee brought in the third singles point and clinched the match for Drake after a 6-2, 6-3 win over Tuana Tinaztepe. 

Lee spoke on clinching the singles point for Drake following the match, expressing her excitement for the team’s future. 

“I’m glad that I was able to bring in a singles point for the team and help clinch the match. I am looking forward to playing many more matches here at home,” Lee said. 

Following the win by Lee, Parkins-Godwin won her matchup. She won her first set 6-3 and battled through the second set to get a 7-6 victory, securing a fourth consecutive singles point for Drake. After Stephani secured their fifth singles point with a win over Michela Xibilia, Drake women’s tennis finished the day with a 6-1 win over the Roos, advancing their record to 3-2 overall, and 3-1 at home. 

Head Coach Breaunna Addision said she was happy with the team’s home record and on how they competed during the match.“I’m proud of how the team competed today and glad that we were able to increase our home record,” Addison said.  

The Bulldogs will next travel to Chicago, Ill to take on DePaul University on March 3.

Senior Kendall Hunt expressed excitement prior to the matchups, explaining that the travel experience is fun alongside competing. 

“I’m excited that we get to be on the road again,” Hunt said. “It’s always fun getting to experience the away matches in addition to playing at home.”

The team won their matchup against St. Thomas 6-1 and lost their ensuing matchup to Minnesota 2-4, bringing their record to 4-3. The team’s next matchup is against DePaul in Chicago on March 3.