Warhawk women’s tennis wrapped up a dominant home-regular season on Thursday with a 7-0 shutout win over Southern University.
The victory gave ULM its 12th straight home win and second undefeated season at Raymond Heard Stadium in the last three years.
“They came out with intensity and took care of business today,” head coach Terrence De Jongh said. “We want to take this as a good win and move forward.”
The Warhawks (13-3) set the tone early in doubles, taking two out of three sets to capture the point from the Jaguars (8-7). Sophie Rufyikiri and Iris Van Leeuwen easily defeated Laura Syori and Kendall Bunch of Southern 8-1 in the third flight.
In the two spot, Medy Blankvoort and Justyna Krol took down Morgan Taylor and Camara Davis 8-3, improving their record to 12-1 on the year.
“There’s a good vibe to our doubles. We rarely make mistakes and that frustrates the opponent,” Blankvoort said.
The first flight matchup of Silvia Tumova and Petra Horakova vs Gabrielle Moore and Lois Alexis went unfinished.
ULM completed the sweep in singles action, taking all six sets from Southern. Blankvoort defeated Danielle Dixon 6-1, 6-0 in the second flight, running her record to 14-2.
Rufyikiri picked up her ninth win of the year in the top flight. As the number one player in ULM’s lineup, Rufyikiri faces the opposing team’s best player in every match.
“There’s some pressure that comes with that,” Rufyikiri said. “I always have to bring my best and get the win for the team every time.”
Silvia Tumova defeated Laura Syori 6-2, 6-1 in the three position. Justyna Krol followed Tumova in the four spot, defeating Lois Alexis 6-2, 6-2.
Iris Van Leeuwen’s 6-3, 6-1 win over Camara Davis was her fifth straight in singles play. Petra Horavoka was dominant in the sixth flight, not surrendering a single point in her 6-0, 6-0 victory over Morgan Taylor.
With the regular season behind them, De Jongh has the team focused on what he calls the “big picture,” the Sun Belt conference tournament.
The Sun Belt does not play a conference schedule in women’s tennis, so ULM could face up to five teams they have not seen yet this year. The Warhawks will be looking to avenge close losses to Sun Belt rivals North Texas and Middle Tennessee.
“It’s single elimination. You take a nap one day and you’re out. We need to come in there hungry and not take anyone for granted,” De Jongh said.
The Sun Belt conference tournament runs from Thursday, April 18 to Sunday April 21 in Lafayette, La.
