WILMINGTON, NC – The New Year can't get here fast enough for the North Carolina A&T women's tennis team.
After a spectacular weekend at UNC Wilmington's Seahawk Ocean Classic, played at the UNCW Courts, and an overall successful fall season, the Aggies are ready to make the effort to piece together one of the best spring seasons in program history.
A&T opened the weekend against fellow Coast Athletic Association (CAA) member Campbell. A&T secured wins from junior Randy Rakotoarilala, sophomore Juana Gomez-Weiss, and junior Tabeth Tadoum.
Rakotoarilala defeated Campbell's No. 1 singles player, Sonia Pieczynska, 4-6, 6-4, 8-3 before Pieczynska retired. Gomez-Weiss won 7-6 (3), 1-6, 10-6, and Tadoum took down Brooke Murphy 6-2, 6-1. Campbell did win the match 4-3, but two of A&T's four losses were three-set defeats, and one match included a first-set tiebreaker.
Freshman Valeriia Fomenko lost 4-6, 6-2, 10-7 to Sandra Marti and senior Hana El Sherif lost to Ilouna Aneca 3-6, 7-5, 10-6. Sophomore Flava Villegas lost to Mollie Garcia 7-6 (3), 6-3. The Aggies had a big win at No. 1 doubles against UNCW. Tadoum and Rakotoarilala defeated UNCW's No. 1 duo 7-6 and 8-6 in the tiebreaker.
"It felt amazing," Rakotoarilala said. "We stayed locked in until the end and went out to get that win."
The Seahawks won at No. 2 and No. 3 doubles to secure the overall win. A&T returned to UNCW on Saturday and ended the day with a splash. The Aggies defeated Gate City Division I rival UNC Greensboro in a late afternoon singles match 7-0. Rakotoarilala won at No. 1 singles 6-1, 0-6, 10-8. Gomez-Weiss, Dorsa Cheraghi, Tadoum, El Sherif, Fomenko, and Villegas also secured victories in their respective matches over the Spartans.
"It was a match that we won completely as a team," said Gomez-Weiss. "We knew UNCG was underestimating us, and that was the motivation we needed to step on the court hungry for the victory. I'm happy with my performance, but most of all, with the team's win. We deserved that result. It was not only a victory, it was about respect."
Earlier in the day, the Aggies lost in doubles to UNCG, 2-1. The Aggies' lone win came at No. 3 doubles, when Villegas and Fomenko won 7-6 and 7-3 in the tiebreaker. Villegas called the match hard because she and Fomenko trailed early before turning it around and winning.
A&T opened Saturday with a 2-1 loss in doubles to Davidson. Gomez-Weiss and Villegas won at No. 2 doubles over Davidson for the lone win. The tournament ended on Sunday with A&T falling to Seton 4-3. Once again, Gomez-Weiss played well, winning at No. 2 singles, 7-6 (7-0), 6-3. Cheraghi won at No. 3, 6-3, 6-7 (2-7), 10-6. A&T's other win came at No. 7 singles with Villegas winning 6-3, 6-2.
The weekend was especially satisfying for El Sherif, who was coming back from an injury.
"I've been dealing with a quad strain for the past month, so I haven't been able to train until this week," said El Sherif, who won over UNCG 6-2, 3-6, 10-3. "It was a good match. I'm proud of how I handled the pressure. I was really hungry to win. It felt great to start finding my rhythm again. It's a great way to come back and represent A&T. I'm very proud of my team and excited for the spring season."
