Women’s tennis team blanks Indiana Tech, 9-0, in season-opener

BATTLE CREEK, Mich. – The Olivet College women's tennis team kicked off the 2011 season with a 9-0 win over Indiana Tech this afternoon inside Minges Creek Athletic Club in Battle Creek.

The Comets swept the three doubles matches. The No. 1 duo of Gianna Guerra (Lansing/Waverly) and Caitlin LaValley (Battle Creek/Pennfield) posted an 8-4 pro-set win. The No. 2 duo of Jordy Bergeron (Muskegon/Mona Shores) and Kelsey Singer (Brooklyn/Columbia Central) needed to win a tiebreaker to post a 9-8 win. The  Warriors did not have enough players to field a No. 3 doubles tandem, so the Olivet duo of Jenna Baker (Battle Creek/Harper Creek) and Paige Sedgewick (Lennon/Powers Catholic) earned the forfeit win.

In singles play, LaValley lost only one game in each set to win 6-1, 6-1 at the No. 1 flight. Singer won 6-0, 6-2 at No. 2 singles. Making her collegiate debut, freshman Rachael Horn (Niles) coasted to a 6-2, 6-2 win at No. 3 singles.

At No. 4 singles, Sedgewick lost the first set 6-3 before bouncing back to force a super-tiebreaker with a 7-5 win in the second set. She won the match after winning the super-tiebreaker,10-5. Baker cruised to a 6-0, 6-0 win at No. 5 singles. Freshman Hope Burnham (Kalamazoo/K-Christian) picked-up the forfeit victory in the No. 6 singles flight.

The Comets are now off until their spring break trip to Hilton Head, S.C., when they play four matches in four days. Olivet's first match is next Monday, March 7, against Lebanon Valley (Pa.) College at 3 p.m.