CAMDEN, N.J. – Despite being shorthanded to open the fall dual season, the Kutztown University women's tennis team dug deep to win every match it needed in a 4-3 non-conference victory at Rutgers-Camden on Saturday afternoon.
With one of his top players studying abroad this semester and in the process of adding a few pieces to the roster, new head coach Pete Smith had only four available players heading into the match. That forced the Golden Bears to cede points at third doubles and fifth and sixth singles.
The four available team members:
Ryleigh Bohning (Kutztown, Pa./Kutztown),
Isabela de Nadai (Vitoria, Brazil/St. Paul's School),
Bieke Roovers (Leiden, Netherlands/Leonardo College) and
Emma Semery (Fuveau, France/HDN Academy) showed resiliency by securing wins in the top two doubles and top three singles flights.
De Nadai and Semery dispatched Jilliane Jaugan and Katie Moore, 6-1, at first doubles, while Roovers and Bohning claimed second doubles by the same score against Jayde Sue Silva and Ashton Sirko.
In singles, Kutztown (1-0) got an early point from Semery at No. 2 when her opponent, Moore, was forced to retire. Semery led 1-0 in the first set at the time.
Roovers, the reigning PSAC East Freshman of the Year, shut out Silva 6-0, 6-0 at No. 3, to put the Bears up 3-2.
Rutgers-Camden tied the match at three by winning its only contested match at fourth singles, where Bryn Kelleher defeated Bohning 6-1, 6-0.
In the deciding match, de Nadai won convincingly over Jaugan, 6-1, 6-1, to deliver Kutztown the win.
Smith coached at Ursinus College for the last 17 seasons, leading the men's program each year and the women's for the last 10 seasons. He earned his first win as the coach of both Kutztown programs on Saturday. The Golden Bear men defeated RUC, 7-0.
Kutztown will take to the Keystone Courts for the first time this fall when it hosts Eastern University next Saturday, Sept. 28, at noon.
