KAILA WARD | staff writer
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courtesy of APU Athletics
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| Freshman EMILY IGNAS won both her matches on Saturday, Feb. 23 against Point Loma Nazarene, her first matches ever played at the newly-built Munson and Bavougian Tennis Complex. |
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The women’s tennis team defeated Point Loma Nazarene 5-4, in their first match on the recently dedicated Munson and Bavougian Tennis Complex, Saturday, Feb. 21.
Although the women had a rough start, losing two out of three of their doubles matches, the freshman doubles team Emily Ignas and Natalie McNall stepped up to pull the team through, winning their match 8-5.
As the team went into the singles match, down 2-1, Head Coach Mark Bohren wanted to focus on having fun instead of pressuring for a victory.
“Let’s take a deep breath and go out there. Win or lose, let’s go out there and have some fun,” Bohren said.
With six singles matches left, the team had a chance for recovery.
And recover they did.
The Cougars took the victory with four out of six of the singles match-ups.
McNall had a climactic win after being down 5-2 in the third set, where she almost lost her confidence.
“I thought, it doesn’t really matter, she only needs three points to win,” McNall said.
However, a positive team ambiance kept her from a loss.
The women upheld Coach Bohren’s advocacy for fun over pressure during McNall’s match, evident in her change of game pace and her third and game-winning set score of 7-5.
“I heard my teammates cheering for me in the background, thinking I still had a chance. So I decided, I’m gonna fight, I’m gonna fight hard. Then I started getting more intense and ended up wining,” McNall said.
Freshman players were standout aspects of the women’s victory over the Sea Lions.
Both Ignas and McNall won both their double and singles matches.
“It feels great that I won both of my matches on the first day at our home courts,” Ignas said.
It was a monumental day for the Cougars’ past, present, and future tennis teams.
The match against the Sea Lions was the first match played at the new 8-court tennis complex, and the fact that it was a day of victory made the transition all that more exciting.
Although the new courts made for a transition, the women hope it will be easier to attract spectators, now having a home court on West campus.
“Our facility is one of the nicest facilities in the NAIA [National Association of Intercolleigate Athletics] league. It’s just amazing that we finally have them,” McNall said.
Team veteran and sole senior Katy Jelsma is able to play her last season at Azusa’s first-ever home courts.
The courts also brought the team a lot of anticipation for the match against Point Loma Nazarene.
Coach Bohren felt the courts brought enthusiasm to the team’s performance on Saturday.
“The atmosphere motivates them to work hard, and we have some fantastic young players,” Bohren said.
The match against the Sea Lions marks the third straight Golden State Athletic Conference that the women have faced this season.
The win over Point Loma gives women’s tennis a 3-0 overall record as well as an undefeated GSAC record before yesterday’s match against Westmont.
