HUNTSVILLE – The Sam Houston State Bearkats captured their second straight win to open the season on Saturday afternoon, sweeping their way past Dallas Baptist, 7-0, at the McAdams Tennis Center.
The Kats (2-0) had to overcome a 2.5-hour rain delay prior to the match, but were near perfect after that, dropping just one singles set in addition to taking all three matches in doubles play over the Patriots.
“I was very proud of our team today as they handled the rain delay well and took control of doubles immediately,” head coach Rob Hubbard said following the match. “It has been a difficult week of practice due to the weather, but the ladies did a nice job of preparing themselves for today's competition.”
Fabienne Gettwart and Khee Yen Wee kicked things off by steamrolling Bianca Tijerina and Mikayla Rinker (6-0) in No. 2 doubles before Ema Barkovic and Diane Friedrichs clinched the point with a (6-2) win on the No. 3 court. The Kats finished off the doubles sweep as Mila Milanovic and Carrie Casey outlasted DBU's top duo of Lacey Sprinkel and Liz Slaughter (7-6).
The Kats then carried that momentum over to singles play with Wee securing the overall win with a straight-set (6-1, 6-1) win over Tijerina on the No. 3 court. Milanovic needed the least amount of time to finish things off at No. 5 singles, taking down Cassidy Paul (6-1, 6-1).
Friedrichs put the Bearkats on the cusp of a victory with her second straight win in the No. 6 slot, knocking off Michelle Zarate (6-2, 6-0), while Gettwart looked strong in the top slot with a (6-0, 6-3) win over Sprinkel.
Casey had the toughest test of the day at No. 4 singles, but still managed to win in comeback fashion after dropping the first set to pick up a (2-6, 7-5, 10-6) victory over Mikayla Rinker.
Sam Houston will now take its show on the road for the first time in a week when it travels to north Louisiana for a pair of matches. The Kats will open up the weekend with a Saturday meeting at ULM before taking on Louisiana Tech a day later in Ruston.
