The Shippensburg University women’s tennis team opened its season against Kutztown University Monday. 

In single matches, the Raiders struggled and were not able to win any of the six  matches  they played. 

The first singles match of the day was between SU freshman Brighid Cantwell and KU junior Catherine Maher. Maher dominated the match winning the first set 6-1 and winning the second set in a 6-0 shutout.

The next singles match was between SU sophomore Sahar Islam and Elyssa Tomczyk. Islam was shutout in both sets of the match 6-0.

In the No. 5 singles match, Raider freshman Merel Hoekstra, making her tennis debut, took on Kutztown’s Sarah Lazarchak. In the first set, Hoekstra would only be able to obtain one point and would drop the set 6-1. The second set would have the same result, a 6-1 outcome. 

The next match was the No. 4 singles match between SU junior Kayla Tryanski and KU’s Jess Marks. This match would be one of the more competitive matches of the day. Tryanski would lose the first set 6-3. In the second set, Tryanski would fall to Marks 6-2.

The No. 1 singles match of the day was between Raider freshman Skylar Walder and the Golden Bears’ Claudia Makarski. This would be the first match of Walder’s collegiate career after a very successful high school tennis career. Walder would drop both sets of her debut match by a score of 6-1.

The final singles match of the day was between SU junior Jenna Sluymer and KU’s Amanda Grebosky. This match would be back and forth throughout. Sluymer would claim the first set 6-4.  

Grebosky would respond with a dominant second set, winning it 6-1. The third and final set of the singles match would go to Grabosky with a score of 10-5.

Overall, the Raiders struggled in their single matches, winning only one of the sets.

In addition to Monday’s single matches, the Raiders competed in three doubles tennis matches.

The first doubles match of the day was the No. 2  doubles match with Shippensburg’s Cantwell and Tryanski. They took on Kutztown’s Grebosky and Marks. Grebosky and Marks would continue KU’s dominance as they would defeat Cantwell and Tryanski in one set 6-0. 

The next doubles match was the No. 3  match with SU freshman Jessalyn Morrow and senior Hannah Wieller against Kutztown’s Elyssa Tomczyk and Jessika Klo. This match was one of the closer matches of the day, as Tomczyk and Klo would end up winning the match for the Golden Bears 6-3.

The final doubles match of the day was the No. 1  doubles match with SU’s  Walder and  Sluymer. They faced KU’s Makarski and Maher. Walder and Sluymer would come out victorious in this one, winning the match 6-4, capturing the first and only match win for the Raiders on the day.

Overall, the Raiders would drop the match with Kutztown 7-0 and would fall to 0-1 on the young season. The Raiders are back in action on Tuesday as they travel to West Chester University to take on the Golden Rams, looking to enter the win column for the first time in 2021.   

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