HAYS, Kan. – Colorado State University Pueblo women's tennis team returned to action here Friday afternoon for the first time in 15 days as the ThunderWolves were shutout 7-0 at Fort Hays State University.
With the loss, the Pack falls to 1-8 on the season, while Fort Hays State improved to 6-2.
The Pack played Friday's match without two top players, sophomore
Yelena Travica (Winnipeg, Manitoba) and junior
Margot Aebischer (Etupes, France/Eastern Arizona College), who missed the match due to the flu.
With its No. 2 doubles team and No. 3 and No. 4 singles players out of the line-up, the Pack had to shift its No. 3 doubles team of senior
Malaya Pendon (Pueblo, Colo./Pueblo East) and freshman
MaKayla Martinez (Pueblo, Colo./Pueblo County) to the No. 2 doubles spot and also moved Pendon from No. 5 singles to No. 3 singles and Martinez from No. 6 singles to No. 4 singles.
FHSU was able to win by default at No. 3 doubles and No. 5 and No. 6 singles.
The Tigers would open the match by earning the doubles point thanks to its 6-1 win at the No. 2 spot and the No. 3 spot. The No. 1 doubles match, though, was a back-and-forth affair as the Pack's No. 1 team of seniors
Valentina Brienza (Rionaro in Vulture, Italy/District of Columbia) and
Marta Garcia (Alcala de Hernares, Spain/Cardinal Stritch) battled point-for-point with FHSU's No. 1 team of Shreethika Vangala and Janae Montoya as the FHSU tandem came away with a 7-5 win.
Meanwhile, in singles, FHSU picked those wins at No. 5 and No. 6 singles due to the Pack missing two players and only needing to win one singles match to secure the victory, and that win came at the No. 3 spot as Pendon fell 6-1, 6-3 to Suzana Faucz.
FHSU picked up its fourth win at No. 4 singles as Martinez fell to Yone Pereiro, 6-0, 6-1.
The Pack, though, made the Tigers work for their wins at No. 1 and No. 2 singles as the Pack was able to win a total of 12 games in those two matches as Brienza won five games at the No. 1 spot over Vangala, but Vangala ultimately prevailed, 6-3, 6-2.
Meanwhile, at No. 2 singles, Garcia won seven games against Irina Alfonso as Alfonso collected a 6-3, 6-4 win.
The Pack will conclude its two-game road trip to Kansas as they play a 9 a.m. MT exhibition match in Great Bend, Kan., against Barton County Community College.
