The ULM tennis team rounded out their productive fall season with wins at the Big Easy Classic in New Orleans last Friday and Saturday.
They began the season with junior Petra Horakova collecting four singles wins and two doubles wins with partner senior Sophie Rufyikiri at the HEB/Under Armour Fall Invite held in Waco, Texas earlier this month.
After that, the Warhawks competed in the USTA/ITA Regional Championships where the dynamic duo of Rufyikiri and Horakova continued to rack up victories progressing them to the quarterfinals which the furthest a ULM doubles pair has advanced in this particular tournament.
Then at the Big Easy Classic tournament freshman Jana Duhanova captured her six and seventh singles wins of the fall after she defeated Southeastern Louisiana’s Natalie Duran 6-1, 6-0 and Yasmine Rashad (UNO) 7-6, 6-1 on Friday.
Dunhavoa continued to the finals of fight three and was defeated by West Virginia’s Carolina Lewis 6-2, 6-2.
Freshman Amy Olivier succumbed to Troy’s Linnea Skymberg 4-6, 6-3, 10-6 in her first match, but came back victorious against Ikttesh Chahal (WVU) 1-6, 6-2, 11-9 in the second round on that Friday.
On Saturday Olivier beat Brion Flowers (XU) 6-1, 6-2 and then captured a victory over Alex Way (ULL) by retirement in the finals of the consolation round of Flight Two .
After capturing a 9-7 victory over Jackson State’s Bright Phakamad and Anastasia Zviahnitseva in the first round, they then lost in an 8-5 decision against West Virginia’s Habiba Shaker and Hailey Barrett on that Saturday.
Rufyikiri feels that the progression of this season has stood out from the previous ones she has participated in.
“It’s pretty much been a good season overall. I think everybody performed pretty well and it might be our best yet,” said Rufyikiri.
Head coach Terrence De Jonghsaid he was pleased with his team’s efferot.