ELON, NC – The North Carolina A&T women's team talked boldly about finally being at full strength during the fall.
The Aggies made mention of it again as their spring season – the one where they can win a championship – started. After three years of having to forfeit at No. 6 singles and No. 3 doubles because of season-ending injuries, the Aggies no longer have those concerns, thus putting them at full strength.
On Wednesday, they gave meaning to being at full strength. Oddly enough, it found meaning during a 7-0 loss in Coastal Athletic Association (CAA) play at Elon.
But when put into perspective, the Aggies took the defending CAA champions to a tiebreaker at No. 2 doubles and had highly competitive matches at No. 2, 3 and 5 singles. In addition, Wednesday marked match No. 2 for A&T, while the Elon Phoenix played its sixth match of the season. A&T is 1-1 overall while the Phoenix improved to 4-2.
"These are the types of battles that set the tone for the entire year," said A&T head coach Dejon Bivens. "We have now seen the level. We have competed with it. And we know we can rise to it."
Look no further than what happened at No. 2 doubles for the A&T duo of juniors Randy Rakotoarilaia and Tabeth Tadoum. The duo took the Elon team of Madison Cordisco and Alexis Nyborg to a tiebreaker before losing 7-6 and 7-1 in the tiebreaker. Before the thrilling No. 3 doubles match, Elon clinched the doubles point.
Elon's Cornelia Kack and Lisa Kranec defeated sophomore Dorsa Cheraghi and senior Hana El Sherif 6-3 at No. 3 doubles. At No. 1 doubles, the Elon team of Simone Bergeron and Mariana Reding won at No. 1 doubles over sophomore Juana Gomez Weiss and sophomore Flavia Villegas 6-4.
"I am incredibly proud of the way our women fought," Bivens said. "They showed heart. They showed grit. They showed belief. We pushed multiple matches to three sets, and our doubles play showed major improvement. The progress is real, even if the scoreboard does not fully capture it."
Elon took a 2-0 lead after Bergeron defeated El Sherif at No. 1 singles, 6-2, 6-2. Elon took a 3-0 advantage following No. 4 singles. Kranec beat Cheraghi 6-2, 6-2. Then, the fun started at No. 3 singles. Gomez Weiss took Reding to a tiebreaker in the first set before losing 7-6 and 7-1 in the tiebreaker. Reding won the second set 6-2 to clinch the win and take a 4-0 lead.
Meanwhile, Rakotoarilala took a set off Kack by winning set No. 1, 6-3. Kack recovered to win set No. 2 before winning the third set 10-0. Nathalie Marinovitch won 6-4, 6-4 over Villegas at No. 6 singles before perhaps the best matchup of the day occurred at No. 5 singles.
Tadoum lost the first set to Nyborg 6-3 before the two played a tremendous second set. Tadoum won a lengthy second set 7-6 and 12-10 in the tiebreaker. The two continued to battle into the third set, with Nyborg finally winning 11-9. Bivens called Tadoum the match's MVP.
The full-strength Aggies return to action on Saturday, February 28, when they travel to Cullowhee, NC, to face the Western Carolina Catamounts at 2 p.m.
"Everything about our schedule has been strategically designed to prepare us for conference play and to maximize our opportunities when it matters most," said Bivens. "This match was part of that design. You do not become championship-ready by avoiding championship-level competition. This is just the beginning.
If we stay healthy, this group is going to be special. They are building confidence, chemistry, and resilience with every match. The Aggie community is going to see a team that competes relentlessly and represents this program with pride. We are laying the foundation now. And we are coming. An amazing season is ahead."
