Big wins and tough losses highlight an improved season for the inexperienced Dixie State University tennis team.
DSU took on Boise State University Wednesday at home then traveled to Oakland, California for matches against University of Hawaii-Hilo, Holy Names University and Mills College.
Through the four matches, DSU fell to BSU and HNU, but came away with wins against UHH and MC.
“The team is playing well right now,” head coach Eric Pelton said. “It has been impressive to see how our young players are coming through in big situations. They all play hard and fight for every point regardless the score.”
After suffering a 1-8 loss at home to BSU, the Trailblazers were able to find a way to defeat UHH 5-4.
With the match tied at four wins a piece, No. 3 singles Kyra Harames rallied for 3-6, 6-1, 6-2 win to seal the overall victory for the Trailblazers.
DSU also took No. 2 doubles powered by Harames and sophomore Frances Hina Goldsmith along with No. 3 doubles to help clinch the victory.
The Trailblazers took on HNU Sunday and after building an initial lead, ultimately fell 3-6.
No. 1 doubles set the tone early for DSU when senior Laura Hartle and sophomore Lacey Hancock recorded an 8-6 victory. No. 3 doubles also brought home a win. However, HNU answered back by taking five of the six singles matches to secure the team victory.
“We are learning from every single match,” said Hancock, an integrated studies major from St. George. “We fight hard and play like we have nothing to lose. We just have to keep trusting in our shots and respond to adversity.”
Monday provided DSU with the opportunity to respond with a match against MC.
All three doubles teams cruised to 8-0 wins. The singles matches followed suit and mirrored the domination displayed by the doubles teams. By the end of the contest DSU recorded an emphatic 9-0 triumph over MC.
“The communication from our doubles teams was [key] this week,” said freshman Goldsmith, a general studies major from Honolulu. “We had to settle down and play our game and we were able to pull out some close matches.”
At 8-4, DSU takes on Dominican University Tuesday at 2 p.m. in California.
