San Antonio - The Trinity University Tigers
women's tennis team picked up its first victories of the season on
Saturday, with wins over Hardin-Simmons and Schreiner at Delavan
Tennis Stadium.
Trinity, which also began its NCAA Division III campaign, beat
Hardin-Simmons 6-3, and shut out Schreiner 9-0. The Tigers, ranked
No. 19 in the nation, and third in the West Region, improved to
2-7.
Hardin-Simmons, ranked No. 7 in the West Region, began the match
by winning two of three doubles. The Cowgirls Lisa Mertz and
Brittany Brazell, ranked fifth in the region, beat third-ranked
Katy Poettcker and Thavindra Ekanayake 8-5 at No. 1 doubles. Morgan
Rainer and Lauren Jay were 8-4 winners over Trinity's Kassie Seger
and Katie Budinsky at No. 3 doubles. The Tigers Katie Griffith and
Erin Jamison, ranked 11th, took No. 2 doubles with an 8-2 win over
Jennifer Cheung and Courtney Cochran.
No. 1 singles went to the 20th-ranked Mertz, who beat Poettcker
(ranked third) 1-6, 6-4, 3-0, retired. The Tigers captured Nos. 2-6
singles, including the clincher at No. 3 by Ekanayake. The
seventh-ranked Ekanayake beat Rainer 6-1, 2-6, 6-1. Trinity's Megan
Jackson won a three-setter from Cochran 6-2, 4-6, 6-1 at No. 5
singles.
The Tigers did not drop a set in the match with Schreiner, and
won the singles by scores of 6-0. Poettcker and Jamison won No. 1
doubles with an 8-3 victory over Michelle Martinez and Brady
Phillips. Griffith played No. 1 singles, Ekanayake No. 2, and
Budinsky No. 3.
Trinity begins its California trip March 11, taking on Carnegie
Mellon (ranked No. 11 nationally) at Claremont, Calif. The Tigers
return home April 9 to host McMurry.
