KUTZTOWN, Pa. -- Kutztown University women's tennis got in the win column for the first time this spring and kicked off PSAC East play on a high note, defeating Shippensburg 5-2 on a cloudy and chilly Wednesday afternoon at the Keystone Courts.
On the strength of its top two doubles pairings, the Golden Bears (3-5, 1-0 PSAC East) worked quickly to earn the available doubles point.
Emma Semery (Fuveau, France/HDN Academy) and
Ximena Bolanos (Mineral de la Reforma, Mexico/Colegio Makarenko) picked up a 6-1 win over Corinne Markovich and Yasmin De Meyer at No. 1, before
Bieke Roovers (Leiden, Netherlands/Leonardo College) and
Isabela de Nadai (Vitoria, Brazil/St. Paul's School) won by a matching score over Jade Miller and Brooklynn Rupert at No. 2.
Shippensburg (5-9, 0-1 PSAC East) briefly tied the match when Rupert recorded a straight set win at No. 5 singles to make it 1-1, but Kutztown won the next four matches.
Roovers continued her strong form with a 6-2, 6-0 win over De Meyer at No. 2, while de Nadai turned away Miller 6-4, 6-3 at No. 3. De Nadai's win was her team-leading eighth of the year in singles and Roovers improved to 7-2 overall.
Bolanos captured the match-clinching point with a 6-3, 6-3 victory over Rachel Gallagher at No. 4. Semery was also a winner for the Maroon and Gold, defeating Markovich in the top flight match 6-4, 6-2.
No. 6
Ryleigh Bohning (Kutztown, Pa./Kutztown) fought back from a set down to force a super tiebreaker with Brinley Orris, but Orris prevailed 6-4, 4-6, 10-2 to account for the Raiders' final point.
Kutztown will face Jefferson in a rescheduled match on the Keystone Courts Friday at 2 p.m., before jumping back into conference play at home on Saturday against Millersville at 1 p.m.
