Women’s tennis claims victory over UMary and MSU
The women’s tennis team defeated Minnesota State University Moorhead and the University of Mary the weekend of Feb. 26-27. During their match against MSU Moorhead, the Vikings swept the evening with six wins for both singles and doubles. On Sunday morning, the Vikings won all six double-matches and five of their six singles matches against the Marauders.
Senior Laura Arce Vieyra has a record of eight wins and one loss for singles. Arce Vieyra and her doubles teammate, freshman Gabriela Jancikova, have a record of nine wins with no losses. The team lost only five sets as they rallied with their opponents on Saturday. Arce Vieyra said they still play their best no matter who they face.
“The moment you start slacking, you start making mistakes,” Arce Vieyra said. “I also think it’s respect for the other person because you can see when someone is getting bored, they start to be rude. Our coach always encourages us to be respectful to the person no matter what.”
Arce Vieyra won three matches but lost her singles match against UMary. She said her opponent played well and the game was enjoyable.
Arce Vieyra enjoys both types of matches. Before a match, she and her teammates huddle together to loosen up and shake out any game anxiety.
“We start cheering up when we start warming up with the other team,” Arce Vieyra said. “We can hear their cheers, and it’s like, oh we also want to cheer, so we yell louder.”
Coach Marc Kurtz said the team played well for singles, but they need to work on their doubles.
“The main thing I’ve been telling the team with our conference matches is to stay focused and don’t give away any free points,” Kurtz said. “We have a strong team, and we need to make the most of these matches even if we are the favorite in those matches.”
The tennis athletes have been playing for a seat in the conference championships since the middle of February. NSIC conference quarterfinals will take place April 22.
“We have a tough stretch of matches coming up so we will see how we do when we are really tested,” Kurtz said. “We are one of the top teams in the region, and we need to keep improving every week so we are playing our best at the end of the season.”
The women’s tennis team is currently ranked 16th in the nation for the NSIC conference for Division II. Over spring break, the team played in Florida where it won matches against Oakland and Palm Beach Atlantic and lost a match against Embry-Riddle. All teams at the Florida tournament who Augustana played against are Division I competitors.
The Vikings travels to Topeka, Kansas, on Friday, March 18 to battle Washburn University.
