2008 Woodie Awards
Tennis improves to 13-1 with shutout at Shippensburg
By Andy Barlow
Rocket Contributor
Issue date: 4/4/08 Section: Sports
At Shippensburg University last Saturday, the Slippery Rock women's tennis team won its eighth straight match, and once again did so in convincing fashion.
With sweeps in all three doubles matches and all six singles matches, the Rock improved to 13-1 on the season with the 9-0 whitewashing. Shippensburg fell to 2-8 in dual matches with the loss.
Having won all five of its matches during spring break in Hilton Head, S.C., the Rock had a two-week-long break prior to Saturday's match.
The team is ranked 23rd in the nation, second best in the PSAC behind only California, which is ranked fifth.
Doubles partners Kayla Blackburn and Laura Handy defeated Shippensburg's No. 1 pair quite handily, 8-2, before winning each of their singles matches 6-0, 6-0.
The pairing of Samantha Blackburn and Jessica Hilborn also cruised to an 8-0 victory in doubles action. Both were also easy winners in their singles matches. Hilborn won her match 6-0, 6-0, capping off a perfect day, while Samantha Blackburn handed her opponent a 6-1, 6-2 loss.
Also recording both doubles and singles victories were Lara Rizzi and Christina Rhodes.
Coach Matt Meredith stressed the importance of the team's cohesiveness and depth at every roster spot. With Chelsea Gibson unavailable for Saturday's match, Rhodes stepped up and proved more than capable of filling in. Meredith however, doesn't credit just one player as a key to the team's success.
"Our team player is our whole team," he said. "Team depth is not a problem. We are getting healthier, which is good because we had some injuries early on this season."
Meredith, in his 12th season, is ecstatic about his team's performance to this point, though he is not surprised. Dominance, much like what he witnessed at Shippensburg, has come to be expected. It is that confidence surrounding the players and coaches that may be pivotal in finding success at later stages in the season.
According to Rizzi, a junior, his expectations have become hers as well.
With sweeps in all three doubles matches and all six singles matches, the Rock improved to 13-1 on the season with the 9-0 whitewashing. Shippensburg fell to 2-8 in dual matches with the loss.
Having won all five of its matches during spring break in Hilton Head, S.C., the Rock had a two-week-long break prior to Saturday's match.
The team is ranked 23rd in the nation, second best in the PSAC behind only California, which is ranked fifth.
Doubles partners Kayla Blackburn and Laura Handy defeated Shippensburg's No. 1 pair quite handily, 8-2, before winning each of their singles matches 6-0, 6-0.
The pairing of Samantha Blackburn and Jessica Hilborn also cruised to an 8-0 victory in doubles action. Both were also easy winners in their singles matches. Hilborn won her match 6-0, 6-0, capping off a perfect day, while Samantha Blackburn handed her opponent a 6-1, 6-2 loss.
Also recording both doubles and singles victories were Lara Rizzi and Christina Rhodes.
Coach Matt Meredith stressed the importance of the team's cohesiveness and depth at every roster spot. With Chelsea Gibson unavailable for Saturday's match, Rhodes stepped up and proved more than capable of filling in. Meredith however, doesn't credit just one player as a key to the team's success.
"Our team player is our whole team," he said. "Team depth is not a problem. We are getting healthier, which is good because we had some injuries early on this season."
Meredith, in his 12th season, is ecstatic about his team's performance to this point, though he is not surprised. Dominance, much like what he witnessed at Shippensburg, has come to be expected. It is that confidence surrounding the players and coaches that may be pivotal in finding success at later stages in the season.
According to Rizzi, a junior, his expectations have become hers as well.
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