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`The Millersville women’s tennis team has one match left this season, but it is never too early to start looking towards next season.
The Marauders’ latest win came at Cheyney University, a 9-0 shutout. Cheyney only managed to win four games in all nine matches.
In No. 1 doubles, freshman Samantha Prager and junior Andrea Konas won 8-1. Junior Jackie Jaffe and sophomore Kaeley McCabe cruised to an 8-0 win in No. 2 doubles.
Prager and Konas continued their domination in singles competition. Prager and Konas won 6-0, 6-0 in No. 1 and 2 singles, respectively. Freshman Samantha Souders and sophomore Michelle DeStefano also walked away with 6-0, 6-0 wins.
Head Coach Shari Bucklin-Webber expected the victory against the division foe, but that did not make it taste any less sweet.
“I’m always happy with a win,” Bucklin-Webber said.
A member of the women's tennis team reaches for a forehead in a recent match against West Chester. Photo by Christian Shuts.
The Marauders also used this match to work on specific areas of their game. This is something they cannot normally do in everyday game situations in which the score is usually tighter and there is less margin for error. They failed to build on this momentum though. They lost a disappointing match against West Chester 7-2.
The team of Prager and Konas at No. 1 doubles continued their stellar play by defeating Claire Afrassiabian and Bridget Dougherty 8-4. After winning her first No. 1 singles set 7-6 (7-1), Prager could not hold off Golden Ram Maria Kostaris.
Jenny Habecker scored the Marauders’ other victory of the day at No. 4 singles. She fought her way past Dougherty for a 7-5, 6-2.
Bucklin-Webber thought they had the Golden Rams where they wanted them after their three doubles matches.
“They were stronger than I anticipated,” Bucklin-Webber said. “That caught me off guard.”
She also thought West Chester played braver than Millersville. They hit the ball well but seemed to play more scared.
The Marauders also fell at home against Bloomsburg. Souders came close to a victory at No. 5 singles but fell short. Andrea Maletesta won the match 6-2, 6-4.
Bucklin-Webber will only lose one senior next year, so the team should be able to carry over the experience gained this season.
Prager is one of the main bright spots to look for next season. Prager already broke onto the scene and competed at both No. 1 singles and doubles. With a full year of intercollegiate tennis under her belt, her competition should make her even better both next year and the rest of her career at Millersville.
After some bad luck with injuries, the Marauders’ high hopes for this season fell short. Although the season did not go as expected from a record standpoint, the Marauders still have plenty of reasons for optimism as they close out another season.